Synthetics are artificially created substances in which two or more elements are chemically combined to make a new compound. Synthetics include all plastics and such manufactured fibers as acrylic, acetate, and nylon. Most synthetic substances have been developed when natural products became scarce or inadequate to meet specific industrial needs.
Manufacturers use synthetics in making countless products for the home and industry. For example, they use tough plastics in furniture, machinery parts, and packaging. Synthetic fibers form part of such products as rubber tires, brushes, electric insulating material, and clothing. Other items that can be made synthetically (chemically) include gems and various types of foods.
Chemists can give synthetics various properties. Some synthetics are brittle and strong, for example, and others are elastic. Many resist chemicals, insects, mildew, and sunlight. In many ways, synthetics are superior to natural products.
Manufacturers produce most synthetics by combining such raw materials as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen. The manufacturers change these raw materials into chemical compounds through one of several chemical processes. The most common of these processes is polymerization, which involves the transformation of small molecules into much larger ones. After the chemical process has been completed, the synthetic may be formed into fibers, a film, or a liquid that can be molded into various shapes.
