Nylon -The Wonder Polymer Trivia Quiz

Answer: Polyester

Even though Rayon was first introduced at the end of the 19th century it is not considered a true synthetic fibre as it is derived from naturally occurring cellulose. Polyesters were discovered before nylon and are synthetics but had major drawbacks. They weren't developed to their full potential until later. Nylon, as we know it today, was discovered in 1935 and is considered the worlds first true synthetic fibre. Terylon is just a made-up name.

Answer: Wallace Carothers

Dr. Carothers was a brilliant organic chemist. His original research centered around polyesters, which had just been discovered, but with polyesters' low melting point and its susceptibility to damage by solvents, he eventually switched his research to using amines instead of glycol and nylon was born.

A little known fact, is that Dr. Carothers, suffered from depression and carried a phial of cyanide on his person for many years in case the depression became too much to bear. Sadly, he used the cyanide in 1937.

Answer: Adipic Acid

There are many different forms of nylon each using different chemicals and formulae. They all have their own strengths and weaknesses. Nylon 6,6 is the most common commercial grade of nylon used for fibres whereas, nylon 6 is the most common grade used for commercial casting.

Answer: Tooth brushes

Actually the first mass-produced consumer product using nylon was tooth brush bristles, around 1938. Nylon stockings weren't introduced until 1940. Up until 1940 only the wealthy could afford sheer silk stockings but with the introduction of nylon that changed. Now any woman could have the sheerness and feel of silk without the prohibitive cost.

Answer: Silk

It isn't surprising that the material Wallace Carothers invented has a structure very similar to that of natural silk as that is precisely what he was trying to synthetically emulate. Natural silk was widely used in North America for a variety of applications but with Japan being the main supplier and with the growing tension between the US and Japan prior to WWII, a substitute was needed.

Answer: DuPont

The name DuPont, is usually synonymous with nylon. Even though nylon was invented in their labs, DuPont never patented the formula however they did patent the cold draw process which is needed to produce it. The draw process is what gives nylon fibre its tensile strength by aligning the molecules.

Answer: Wilmington Delaware

Wilmington was the original pilot plant, however, the Seaford Plant was the first to go into full scale production. A second plant opened in Martinsville Virginia in 1941. The production of nylon went international in 1942 when Du Pont opened a plant in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.

Answer: Carpeting

Even though carpeting is losing a little of its popularity, the majority of nylon fibre produced is used in carpeting. Nylon is still the fibre of choice for carpeting in both commercial and home applications. Every fibre, synthetic or natural, have drawbacks but for wearability, ease of maintenance, colour retention and cost, nylon is hard to beat.

Answer: All of these

Nylon fibres are extruded whereas solid nylon components can be injection molded or cast. Nylon is so versatile it touches just about every aspect of daily life. Automobiles, clothes, furniture, machines, the list goes on and on. Just about everything we touch contains nylon in one form or another. Even an expensive solid wood desk probably has runners made out of nylon on the drawers.

Answer: Parachutes

Around the same time nylon went into full scale production in the US, WWII was raging in Europe. Nylon was found to be the perfect replacement for silk in the manufacture of parachutes. It was just as light but stronger and far cheaper to produce. It was also used for ropes, tents, ponchos and tires. Even though nylon stockings were introduced in 1940, they were still a scarce commodity and the ladies had to wait until after the war as the majority of nylon fibres produced went into the war effort.