2. After completing this topic you should be able to : State synthetic materials are made by the chemical industry. State most plastics and synthetic fibres are made from chemicals derived from oil. Name examples of plastics include polythene, polystyrene, perspex, PVC, and nylon. Name examples of synthetic fibres include polyesters, e.g. Terylene, and nylon.

3. We use plastics and synthetic fibres everyday yet these have only been widely used in the past 50 years. Plastics and synthetic fibres are m mm man-made materials, this is why they are called S SS SYNTHETIC. Plastics are generally c cc cheap to produce, and have very useful properties such as: l ll lightness, strength and durability. In addition, plastics are e ee easily moulded into a variety of shapes and are excellent insulators of both heat and electricity.

4. Complete the Natural and Synthetic Fibres Table with information from the following slides. COTTON From fibres of the cotton plant. WOOL From spun hair of sheep.

6. NYLON Used to make jackets, sports bags, sportswear and ropes. POLYESTER Used to make trousers, shirts, sportswear. Some polyester clothes are labelled TERYLENE.

7. There are many different types of plastic. Complete the Plastics And Their Uses Table with information from the following slides. POLYTHENE Used to make bags, packaging, containers, food boxes.

8. PERSPEX Used as replacement for glass but not as brittle as glass. Can easily be shaped. Used to make jewellery. POLYPROPYLENE (POLYPROPENE) As a fibre used to make ropes and carpets. As a plastic it is used to make containers, packaging and combs.

9. POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) Used as floor covering, window frames, electrical insulation and water pipes.

10. POLYSTYRENE (Expanded) Used in packaging as it is light and absorbs knocks. It is a good heat insulator and is used in take-away food cartons. POLYSTYRENE (Non-expanded) This is a rigid plastic and is used to make casings for TV’s, computers, cameras.

11. Nylon Nylon widely known as a fibre. Nylon as a plastic, is widely used in machine parts, as it is very strong.

12. Almost all plastics are produced from molecules, which have come from crude oil. The molecules in crude oil are first separated by FRACTIONAL DISTILLATION. CRACKING breaks down large hydrocarbon molecules into smaller molecules. This also produces A AA ALKENES. ETHENE is a very important molecule in the manufacture of p pp plastics. In 2005 world production exceeded 75 million tonnes.