Institut Charles Sadron (ICS), 23 rue du Loess, BP 84047, 67034 Strasbourg Cédex 2, France
Équipe "Théorie et Simulation des Polymères" (ETSP)
Welcome,
Research,
Publications,
Group,
Seminars,
Workshops,
Lectures,
Glossary,
Whereabouts,
Links
A short History of Polymer Science
In 1861 the British chemist
Thomas Graham
noted an unusual property of some organic compounds such as
starches and
cellulose.
When dissolved in solutions, they would not pass through fine filters
suggesting an incredibly high
molecular weight.
Nor could they be purified into a crystalline form.
Graham believed that these substances represented a completely different
organization of matter. Since they often behaved like glue in solution,
he called them
colloids,
from the ancient Greek word kolla, meaning "glue."
Incorrectly, Graham suggest that these materials
were made of small molecules that somehow clumped together
in aggregates to give the false impression of giant molecules.
The responsible "association forces" were thought to be much
weaker than those forces binding the atoms of a molecule together,
yet they were sufficiently powerful to keep colloids from behaving
like their "crystalloid" chemical relatives.
After Graham, three generations of chemists would disregard the
possibility that the sticky impurities fouling their distillations
were actually giant
molecules:
polymers.
Webmaster: J.P. Wittmer,
Last Update: 15/MAI/2012