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Rubber vulcanisation creates chemical sulphur crosslinks between polymer chains
Heating natural rubber latex with sulphur yields heat-resistant elastic tyres
Natural rubber sap degrades easily, becoming sticky in heat and brittle in cold. In 1839, Charles Goodyear accidentally dropped a mixture of natural rubber latex and sulphur onto a hot stove. The process, called vulcanisation, created chemical crosslinks between polymer chains, yielding durable, elastic rubber for tyres.
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Tags: rubber, materials, chemistry
Rubber vulcanisation creates chemical sulphur crosslinks between polymer chains: the short answers
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- Heating natural rubber latex with sulphur yields heat-resistant elastic tyres. The figure is taken from Encyclopaedia Britannica, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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