Nylon is a synthetic polymer produced in 1935 by Wallace Carothers. It is very commonly used and has several variations such as nylon-6,6, nylon-6,9, nylon-11.
Uses:
Toothbrush Bristles
Stockings
Fabric
Instrument strings
Nylon is made of repeating units linked together by amide linkages (bonds)
Manufacture:
Molecules with an acid (-COOH) group are reacted with molecules containing amine (-NH2) groups. The resulting nylon is named on the basis of the number of carbon atoms separating the two acid groups and the two amines. This process is known as condensation and it produces a monomer with an acid group on one end and an amine group on the other end know as the monomer as shown below.
The monomer which then continues to form more linkages to form longer polymer chains.
Nylons of various types are manufactured using slightly different conditions to vary there chain length and arrangement to give different physical properties.
The colourful nylons are so pretty! Just a question that I want to clarify, you mention that the conditions for the manufacturing of nylons are varied to give different physical properties. Is colour one of the physical properties involved or is the difference in colour simply due to the different colour dyes used?
ReplyDeleteThe manufacture of nylons vary to give different properties such as difference in luster (From lustrous to dull) and durability (From seatbelts to stockings) but not colour.
ReplyDeleteTo add colour, Nylon is often dyed using either acid dyes or disperse dyes which requires heating to fix the dye to the Nylon. So you can get the same durability and luster but in different colours.
So many different colours! so interesting!
ReplyDelete