2007-09-16 02:55:51 · 5 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Chemistry
Petroleum.
2007-09-16 03:05:19 · answer #1 · answered by Chic 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Plastic is the general term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic polymerization products. They are composed of organic condensation or addition polymers and may contain other substances to improve performance or economics. There are few natural polymers generally considered to be "plastics". Plastics can be formed into objects or films or fibers.
Plastic can be classified in many ways, but most commonly by their polymer backbone (polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polymethyl methacrylate and other acrylics, silicones, polyurethanes, etc.). Other classifications include thermoplastic, thermoset, elastomer, engineering plastic, addition or condensation or polyaddition (depending on polymerization method used), and glass transition temperature or Tg.
Some plastics are partially crystalline and partially amorphous in molecular structure, giving them both a melting point (the temperature at which the attractive intermolecular forces are overcome) and one or more glass transitions (temperatures above which the extent of localized molecular is substantially increased). So-called semi-crystalline plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, poly(vinyl chloride), polyamides (nylons), polyesters and some polyurethanes. Many plastics are completely amorphous, such as polystyrene and its copolymers, poly(methyl methacrylate), and all thermosets.
The vast majority of plastics are composed of polymers of carbon and hydrogen alone or with oxygen, nitrogen, chlorine or sulfur in the backbone.
2007-09-16 03:42:21 · answer #2 · answered by devyani b 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Fossil fuels;oil, natural gas, petroeum, those are the hydro carbons processed into plastic.
What is involved in the process of making the plastic am not certain myself.,
2007-09-16 03:50:25 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Mostly oil, but you could make it out of natural gas, or ethanol (usually made from corn). Plastic is a very general sort of thing, it would be like asking what kind of trees is wood made from...
2007-09-16 03:08:29 · answer #4 · answered by john the engineer 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
impossible to answer as there are lots of plastics
The elements involved more frequently are H, C , O...
2007-09-16 03:04:32 · answer #5 · answered by maussy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋