Who invented plastic?

There are various types of plastic that have been invented. The first plastic was created by Alexander Parkes in 1855 and was termed Parkesine. Parkesine was later termed as celluloid. The development and the technology for the creation of plastics have undergone a major change. Plastics are usually polymers and have a high molecular mass. Sometimes other materials are also added to increase the performance or even to reduce the costs. The word plastic is derived from the Greek word ‘Plastos’, which means ‘being molded’. Plastic has great malleability ability and can be molded in various products and objects.

Plastics are produced from petroleum and natural gas and are made in two types. There are various types of plastics. Cellulose based plastics were made by Alexander Parkes where the cellulose was treated with nitric acid and a solvent and was dissolved in alcohol and hardened. Bakelite is another form of plastic that was created as synthetic polymer and was made from a combination of phenol and formaldehyde and was created by Leo Hendrik Baekeland through the synthesis methods in 1907.

Soon after the WWI, technological innovations led to improvements in chemical technology and new types of plastics such as polystyrene (PS) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) were developed by IG Farben, Germany. Other types of plastics include Nylon, Synthetic rubber and rubber.