Plastics - Important Notes, Functions, Properties, Structure, FAQs

In this article we will discuss what is plastic, what is plastic material, what does we mean by plastic in English, some important notes on plastic, about functions of plastic, how many types of plastics are there, classification of plastics, examples of plastic materials, who invented polythene, what is plastic made of, plastic material properties, plastic material list, about the structure of plastic, define acrylic glass, about recycling of plastic, uses of plastics, about plastic material.

Also read -

• NCERT Solutions for Class 11 Chemistry
• NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Chemistry
• NCERT Solutions for All Subjects

What is plastic?

Here we are talking about plastics. Plastics are basically the type of polymer that means it is made by repeating a single unit multiple times in order to make a long chain which further can be moulded according to the properties of the material used in to make it and then it is converted or shaped into numerous articles or more precisely objects. It is also produced not naturally but synthetically.

Now we will discuss that what is the plastic material? So the plastic material as the name suggests are the material those are made up of plastics. Talking about plastics they are many types and depending upon the type of plastic used the properties of the plastic material vary. There are many plastic materials that we use in our day to day life. Some of them include: switches, fans, chairs, tables, plates etc. Now we will discuss some important notes or points about plastics.

Firstly we will discuss the classification of plastics. As we have discussed that plastics are made up of polymers and these polymers are then further divided into two categories namely thermoplastics and thermosetting plastics. Now we will explain each of these category in detail.

Talking about the thermoplastics we come to know they are the plastics which can moulded and demoulded easily also there shape can easily be changed. They type plastics are said to have straight chains and not cross linked to each other therefore they are melted on heating and then reshaped. For example: polythene is one of the most popular example of this.

Then talking about the thermosetting plastics we can say that they cannot be changed into another shape on heating. Moreover from this it is concluded that these plastics once set into the shape then it cannot be reshaped or melted. They will be discarded only when not in use. As they cannot be changed further therefore we can say here that they are not the single long chains instead they are the chains which are cross linked making it tightly bonded to all the alternate monomers. For examples: Bakelite is one of the popular example.

So these are the main classification of plastics but the of these two main categories forms different types of plastics which have specific names and uses that we usually come across. So we will discuss different types of plastics in short:

• High density polyethylene: this is quite a stronger type of plastic and is used to store grocery items. It is really hard and thicker also.
• Polyethylene tetraphthalate: it is basically lighter plastic that is used to make use and throw items.
• Polyvinyl chloride: it is one of the mostly used plastic in everyday life. It is used make bottles, toys etc. we have also heard in the news that this plastic is really hazardous to the environment.
• Low density plastics: this low density plastics as the name suggests that it is of low quality. It is the polythene bags which we usually use. It is also a threat to the environment.
• Polypropylene: it does not melt easily on heating and it resistable to high temperature food items.
• Polystyrene: it is very dangerous to human health. It is basically used for packaging purposes.

Here we have discussed about the different types of plastics found in nature.

Now we will discuss the composition and the structure of plastic.

As we have talked here a lot about the plastic the first question which comes to our mind is “what is plastic made up of?” or how is plastic formed?

When we talk of plastics we can say that they are usually made up of carbon, chlorine, oxygen, sulphur, nitrogen and hydrogen. Now we will see that how these molecules of organic chemistry are bound in order to form plastics. It is simple process while expressing here but practically it undergoes lot of work in industries in order to obtain the required form of it.

These different organic compounds ass mentioned above bound together with the help of different additives to obtain the property of plasticity. Elaborating about the property of elasticity we can say that it is property that the substance when it is folded and reshaped it should do so without breaking. These plastics are not naturally obtained from the given organic materials but they are obtained from the coal, natural gas and such compounds where the basic units are these organic compounds.

Also, students can refer,

• NCERT solutions for Class 12 Chemistry Chapter 15 Polymers
• NCERT Exemplar Class 12 Chemistry Solutions Chapter 15 Polymers
• NCERT notes Class 12 Chemistry Chapter 15 Polymers

Uses of plastics or functions of plastic

• It has a wide application in the automobile industry. It is used to make different parts of the cars, bikes, trucks etc.
• It is used to make polybags which are widely used all over to carry different items.
• It also make the process of packaging easier nowadays because it can easily pack the products and also do not make it heavier.
• It is used to make safety products like helmets.
• There are also special type of plastics made in order to be used in the microwave ovens.

Some of the plastics are very difficult to dispose of and are now posing threat to the environment. We have discussed plastic notes here.

Also check-

• NCERT Exemplar Class 11th Chemistry Solutions
• NCERT Exemplar Class 12th Chemistry Solutions
• NCERT Exemplar Solutions for All Subjects

NCERT Chemistry Notes:

• NCERT Notes Class 11th Chemistry
• NCERT Notes Class 12th Chemistry
• NCERT Notes For All Subjects