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Rubber is found naturally as an extract from trees and plants and it is also man made. Artificial rubber is made from polymers. Natural rubber is also called elastomer and is derived from trees that give out a milky substance which later turns into rubber. Rubber is very elastic in nature and it is used in various industrial applications. It is also used to make some house hold products. |
Natural rubber is made up of various plant secretions and there are several chemicals in it. One of the main ingredients found in rubber is latex. Several plants and trees secrete latex actually and it later turns into rubber. Rubber cannot be destroyed and it can be heated and cooled but not damaged. After cooling rubber, it regains its original form.
Some of the plants that secrete rubber are rubber fig, panama rubber tree, spurges, common dandelion, lettuce and Russian dandelion. However, none of these trees are considered as a major source of rubber. Today, in most industries, synthetic rubber made out of latex is only used and plant extracts are seldom used. Latex, which forms the majority of rubber, is a natural polymer that is formed out of isoprene. Also, a very small percentage other materials like protein and fatty acids along with resins are present in rubber. These ingredients are extracted individually also for their own industrial applications. For example, resins are used to make paints and coating and used on several vehicles like boats and cars. Natural rubber is also vulcanized for industrial purposes.
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