Gutta Percha: A Journey

Gutta percha, the trans-1,4-polyisoprene of botanical origin, was once the exclusive material for a variety of objects, such as insulative covering of submarine cables, chemical-resistant devices, golf balls, and denture and dent fillers. This book traces the 'journey' of this unique polymer which played a role as precursor to the synthetic thermoplastics emergence in 20th century. (The appendices briefly review the history of Xylonite (Celluloid) and Amber & Copal is briefly reviewed). ContentsForeword by Prof. Malcolm M. MackleyIntroductionChapter 1 The source of gutta percha and the use by native peopleChapter 2 Introduction to Europe; Processing and productsChapter 3 Insulative covering of submarine cablesChapter 4 Structure and propertiesChapter 5 The founding of plantation at TjipetirChapter 6 Other sources of trans-1,4-poly-isopreneChapter 7 A guide to the gutta percha plantation/factory at CipetirChapter 8 Gutta Percha Conference 2007Chapter 9 Recent NewsAppendix1 A Brief History of Xylonite (Celluloid) Appendix2 Thermoplastic Aspects of Amber and CopalReferences and NotesIndex