Abstract
Neoprene is a truly synthetic rubber with a very wide range of uses, in some of which it is superior to natural rubber. Julius A. Nieuwland was responsible for starting the chain that led to its discovery. A native of Hansboeke, Belgium, he graduated from the American University of Notre Dame in 1899 and he decided to devote himself to a theoretical study of acetylene. In 1903 he was ordained, a year later he received his doctorate and returned to Notre Dame to resume his experimental work. In 1906 he noticed that a reaction occurred when acetylene was passed into a solution of copper and alkali metal chlorides; although no violent reaction took place, a strange odour indicated the presence of a new product.
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References
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© 1969 John Jewkes, David Sawers and Richard Stillerman
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Jewkes, J., Sawers, D., Stillerman, R. (1969). Neoprene. In: The Sources of Invention. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-00015-9_33
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-349-00015-9_33
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, London
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