the.com/polyurethane
The plastic that moonlights as foam, paint, and tire — picked by its molecule's mood.
means A versatile synthetic polymer made of repeating organic units joined by urethane links, used in everything from couch cushions and mattress foam to varnishes, insulation, and rubbery coatings depending on how it's formulated.
from Built from 'poly-' (Greek for 'many') plus 'urethane,' itself from 'urea' — the compound first isolated from urine — fused with the chemical suffix '-ane.' The polymer was developed in the 1930s by industrial chemists racing to invent synthetic rubber alternatives, most notably Otto Bayer's lab in Germany. The name is pure chemistry-speak: it tells you the molecule is strung together with repeating urethane groups, not that it has anything to do with pee by the time it reaches your sofa cushion.
- invented
- Germany, 1937, racing rubber shortages
- two forms
- rigid foam insulates, flexible foam sits
- spandex link
- polyurethane fibers literally made lycra stretchy
- flammable legacy
- old foam fueled deadlier, faster furniture fires