Ukuthuthukiswa kwepulasitiki kungalandelelwa emuva maphakathi nonyaka we-19. Ngaleso sikhathi, ukuze kuhlangatshezwane nezidingo zemboni yezindwangu eyayichuma e-UK, osokhemisi bahlanganisa amakhemikhali ahlukene ndawonye, ​​benethemba lokwenza i-bleach kanye nedayi. Osokhemisi bathanda kakhulu itiyela lamalahle, eliyimfucuza efana ne-curd ehlanganiswe ezitsheni zefektri eziqhutshwa yigesi yemvelo.

UWilliam Henry Platinum, umsizi welabhorethri eRoyal Institute of Chemistry eLondon, wayengomunye wabantu abenza lolu cwaningo. Ngolunye usuku, lapho iplatinum isula ama-reagents amakhemikhali ayechitheke ebhentshini elabhorethri, kwatholakala ukuthi indwangu yayidaywe yaba i-lavender eyayingavamile ukubonwa ngaleso sikhathi. Lokhu kutholakala ngengozi kwenza iplatinum yangena embonini yokudaya futhi ekugcineni yaba yisigidigidi.
Nakuba ukutholakala kwe-platinum kungeyona ipulasitiki, lokhu kutholakala ngengozi kubaluleke kakhulu ngoba kukhombisa ukuthi amakhemikhali enziwe umuntu angatholakala ngokulawula izinto zemvelo eziphilayo. Abakhiqizi baqaphele ukuthi izinto eziningi zemvelo ezifana nokhuni, i-amber, irabha, nengilazi ziyivelakancane kakhulu noma zibiza kakhulu noma azifaneleki ukukhiqizwa ngobuningi ngoba zibiza kakhulu noma aziguquguquki ngokwanele. Izinto zokwenziwa ziyindawo efanelekile yokufaka esikhundleni. Zingashintsha isimo ngaphansi kokushisa nokucindezelwa, futhi zingagcina isimo ngemva kokupholisa.
UColin Williamson, umsunguli weLondon Society for the History of Plastics, uthe: “Ngaleso sikhathi, abantu babebhekene nokuthola enye indlela eshibhile futhi elula ukuyishintsha.”
Ngemva kweplatinum, omunye umNgisi, u-Alexander Parks, waxuba i-chloroform namafutha e-castor ukuze athole into eqinile njengezimpondo zezilwane. Lena kwakuyipulasitiki yokuqala yokwenziwa. Amapaki anethemba lokusebenzisa le pulasitiki eyenziwe ngabantu ukuze athathe indawo yerabha engasetshenziswa kabanzi ngenxa yezindleko zokutshala, ukuvuna, kanye nokucubungula.
UJohn Wesley Hyatt waseNew York, umkhandi wensimbi, wazama ukwenza amabhola e-billiard ngezinto zokwenziwa esikhundleni samabhola e-billiard enziwe ngendlovu. Nakuba engazange axazulule le nkinga, wathola ukuthi ngokuxuba i-camphor nenani elithile le-solvent, kungatholakala izinto ezingashintsha isimo ngemva kokushisa. UHyatt ubiza lokhu ngokuthi i-celluloid. Lolu hlobo olusha lwepulasitiki lunezici zokukhiqizwa ngobuningi yimishini kanye nabasebenzi abangenamakhono. Luletha embonini yamafilimu izinto ezicacile neziguquguqukayo ezingaveza izithombe odongeni.
I-Celluloid iphinde yakhuthaza intuthuko yemboni yamarekhodi asekhaya, futhi ekugcineni yathatha indawo yamarekhodi okuqala ayisilinda. Amapulasitiki akamuva angasetshenziswa ukwenza amarekhodi e-vinyl nama-cassette tape; ekugcineni, i-polycarbonate isetshenziselwa ukwenza ama-compact disc.
I-Celluloid yenza ukuthwebula izithombe kube umsebenzi onemakethe ebanzi. Ngaphambi kokuba uGeorge Eastman athuthukise i-celluloid, ukuthwebula izithombe kwakuyinto yokuzilibazisa ebizayo futhi eyinkimbinkimbi ngoba umthwebuli wezithombe kwakudingeka athuthukise ifilimu ngokwakhe. U-Eastman weza nomqondo omusha: ikhasimende lathumela ifilimu eliqediwe esitolo alivula, futhi layithuthukisa ifilimu yekhasimende. I-Celluloid iyinto yokuqala esobala engenziwa ibe yishidi elincane futhi ingagoqwa ibe yikhamera.
Cishe ngalesi sikhathi, u-Eastman wahlangana nomfokazi osemusha waseBelgium, uLeo Beckeland. UBaekeland wathola uhlobo lwephepha lokunyathelisa oluzwela kakhulu ekukhanyeni. U-Eastman wathenga okusunguliwe kukaBeckland ngamadola aseMelika angu-750,000 (okulingana namadola aseMelika ayizigidi ezingu-2.5). Ngemali ekhona, iBaekeland yakha ilabhorethri. Futhi ngo-1907 yasungula ipulasitiki ye-phenolic.
Le nto entsha iphumelele kakhulu. Imikhiqizo eyenziwe ngepulasitiki ye-phenolic ifaka phakathi ocingweni, izintambo ezivalekile, izinkinobho, ophephela bezindiza, namabhola e-billiard asezingeni eliphezulu.
Inkampani iParker Pen yenza amapeni ahlukahlukene omthombo ngepulasitiki ye-phenolic. Ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuqina kwamapulasitiki e-phenolic, inkampani yenze umbukiso emphakathini futhi yalahla ipeni ezakhiweni eziphakeme. Umagazini i-“Time” wanikela ngesihloko sesembozo ukwethula umsunguli wepulasitiki ye-phenolic kanye nalokhu okungasetshenziswa “izinkulungwane zezikhathi”
Eminyakeni embalwa kamuva, ilabhorethri kaDuPont nayo yenza enye intuthuko ngengozi: yenza i-nylon, umkhiqizo obizwa ngokuthi usilika wokwenziwa. Ngo-1930, uWallace Carothers, usosayensi owayesebenza elabhorethri yaseDuPont, wacwilisa induku yengilazi eshisayo enkomishini ende ye-molecule organic futhi wathola izinto ezinwebeka kakhulu. Nakuba izingubo ezenziwe nge-nylon yasekuqaleni zancibilika ngaphansi kokushisa okuphezulu kwensimbi, umsunguli wayo uCarothers waqhubeka nokwenza ucwaningo. Cishe eminyakeni eyisishiyagalombili kamuva, iDuPont yaletha i-nylon.
Inayiloni isetshenziswe kabanzi ensimini, amapharashuthi nezintambo zezicathulo konke kwenziwa nge-nayiloni. Kodwa abesifazane bayisebenzisa ngentshiseko inayiloni. Ngomhlaka-15 Meyi 1940, abesifazane baseMelika bathengisa amasokisi e-nayiloni ayizigidi ezi-5 akhiqizwe yiDuPont. Amasokisi e-nayiloni ayatholakala, futhi abanye osomabhizinisi sebeqalile ukuzenza amasokisi e-nayiloni.
Kodwa indaba yempumelelo ye-nylon inesiphetho esibuhlungu: umsunguli wayo, uCarothers, wazibulala ngokuthatha i-cyanide. USteven Finnichell, umbhali wencwadi ethi “Plastic”, uthe: “Ngithole umbono ngemuva kokufunda idayari kaCarothers: UCarothers uthe izinto azisungula zazisetshenziselwa ukukhiqiza izingubo zabesifazane. Amasokisi azizwa ekhungathekile kakhulu. Wayengumfundi, okwamenza wazizwa engabekezeleleki.” Wayenomuzwa wokuthi abantu bazocabanga ukuthi impumelelo yakhe eyinhloko yayingelutho ngaphandle kokusungula “umkhiqizo ojwayelekile wezentengiselwano.”
Ngesikhathi iDuPont ithakaselwe yimikhiqizo yayo ethandwa kakhulu ngabantu, amaNgisi athola ukusetshenziswa okuningi kwepulasitiki emkhakheni wezempi ngesikhathi sempi. Lokhu kutholakala kwenziwa ngengozi. Ososayensi elabhorethri yeRoyal Chemical Industry Corporation yase-United Kingdom babeqhuba ucwaningo olwalungahlangene nalokhu, futhi bathola ukuthi kwakukhona i-white wax precipitate phansi kwepayipi lokuhlola. Ngemva kokuhlolwa kwelabhorethri, kwatholakala ukuthi le nto iyinto enhle kakhulu yokuvikela. Izici zayo zihlukile kwengilazi, futhi amagagasi e-radar angadlula kuyo. Ososayensi bayibiza ngokuthi i-polyethylene, futhi bayisebenzisela ukwakha indlu yeziteshi ze-radar ukuze zibambe umoya nemvula, ukuze i-radar isakwazi ukubamba izindiza zesitha ngaphansi kwemvula nenkungu enkulu.
UWilliamson weNhlangano Yomlando Wepulasitiki uthe: “Kunezinto ezimbili ezibangela ukusungulwa kwepulasitiki. Esinye isici yisifiso sokwenza imali, kanti esinye isici yimpi.” Kodwa-ke, kwaba yiminyaka eyalandela eyenza ipulasitiki yaba uFinney ngempela. UChell wayibiza ngokuthi uphawu “lwekhulu leminyaka lezinto zokwenziwa.” Ngawo-1950, kwavela izitsha zokudla ezenziwe ngepulasitiki, amajagi, amabhokisi ensipho neminye imikhiqizo yasekhaya; ngawo-1960, kwavela izihlalo ezifuthwayo. Ngawo-1970, izazi zemvelo zaveza ukuthi ipulasitiki ayikwazi ukuwohloka ngokwayo. Intshiseko yabantu ngemikhiqizo yepulasitiki yehlile.
Kodwa-ke, ngawo-1980 nawo-1990, ngenxa yesidingo esikhulu sepulasitiki embonini yokukhiqiza izimoto namakhompyutha, amapulasitiki aqinisa isikhundla sawo. Akunakwenzeka ukuphika le ndaba evamile etholakala kabanzi. Eminyakeni engamashumi amahlanu edlule, umhlaba wawukwazi ukukhiqiza amashumi ezinkulungwane zamathani epulasitiki minyaka yonke; namuhla, ukukhiqizwa kwepulasitiki minyaka yonke emhlabeni kudlula amathani ayizigidi eziyi-100. Ukukhiqizwa kwepulasitiki minyaka yonke e-United States kudlula ukukhiqizwa okuhlangene kwensimbi, i-aluminium kanye nethusi.
Amapulasitiki amashaKusatholakala izinto ezintsha. UWilliamson we-Society for the History of Plastics uthe: “Abaklami nabasunguli bazosebenzisa ipulasitiki eminyakeni eyinkulungwane ezayo. Akukho zinto zomndeni ezifana nepulasitiki ezivumela abaklami nabasunguli ukuba baqedele imikhiqizo yabo ngentengo ephansi kakhulu.