Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

A Prehistory of Polymer Science

  • Book
  • © 2012

Overview

Authors:
  1. Gary Patterson Carnegie Mellon University

    1. , Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA

    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Provides key insights into current issues and historical problems in polymer science
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Molecular Science (BRIEFSMOLECULAR, volume 2)

Part of the book sub series: History of Chemistry (BRIESFHISTCHEM)

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this book

Log in via an institution
eBook USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access

Licence this eBook for your library

Institutional subscriptions

Table of contents (4 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-ix
    Download chapter PDF

  2. Introduction

    • Gary Patterson
    Pages 1-2

  3. Materia Polymerica

    • Gary Patterson
    Pages 3-24

  4. The Faraday Society and the Birth of Polymer Science*

    • Gary Patterson
    Pages 25-42

  5. Musings on the Prehistory of Polymer Science

    • Gary Patterson
    Pages 43-47

  6. Back Matter

    Pages 49-49
    Download chapter PDF
Back to top

Keywords

About this book

Polymer science is now an active and thriving community of scientists, engineers and technologists, but there was a time, not so long ago, when there was no such community. The prehistory of polymer science helps to provide key insights into current issues and historical problems. The story will be divided into an ancient period ( from Greek times to the creation of the molecular consensus), a nascent period (from Dalton to Kekule to van’t Hoff) and a period of paradigm formation and controversy (from Staudinger to Mark to Carothers). The prehistory concludes with an account of the epochal 1935 Discussion of the Faraday Society on “Polymerization”. After this meeting an active community engaged in trying to solve the central problems defined by the discussions.

Authors and Affiliations

  • , Department of Chemistry, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, USA

    Gary Patterson Carnegie Mellon University

About the author

Gary Patterson is Professor of Chemical Physics and Polymer Science at Carnegie Mellon University. He received his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry under Paul Flory at Stanford University in 1972. He was a Member of Technical Staff in the Chemical Physics Department at AT&T Bell Laboratories from 1972-1984. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and the American Physical Society. He received the National Academy of Sciences Award for Initiatives in Research in 1981 for his work on light scattering from polymers. He is the author of more than 100 papers on polymer science and the book, “Physical Chemistry of Macromolecules.” He was the Charles Price Fellow of the Chemical Heritage Foundation and currently is the Chief Bibliophile of the Bolton Society.

Bibliographic Information

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Back to top

Search

Navigation