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Photos and Videos

Diagram illustrating a homopolymer arrangement using polyvinyl chloride as an example, showing a chain of identical repeating vinyl chloride units with the chemical structure highlighted.
natural rubber
Diagram of a DNA polynucleotide chain showing linked deoxyribose sugars, phosphate groups, and nitrogenous bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine), with an inset comparing ribose and uracil in RNA.
polystyrene
PVC piping
A chemical diagram showing the formation of nylon from hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid, with molecular structures depicted and the resulting products labeled as nylon and water.
caulk
Diagram showing common functional groups in monomers-amine, carboxylic acid, alcohol, and isocyanate-at the top, and their resulting polymer linkages-amide, ester, and carbamate (urethane)-at the bottom, with color-coded chemical structures and connecting lines illustrating how monomers combine during polymerization.
Diagram comparing two mineral structures: the top shows a single chain of silicon-oxygen tetrahedra for pyroxene labeled (SiO3)n, while the bottom shows a double chain for amphibole labeled (Si4O11)n, with silicon atoms in purple and oxygen atoms in orange.
A step-by-step diagram shows the wet spinning process for polymeric fibers, beginning with a polymer solution pumped through a filter into a spin bath, forming fibers via a spinnerette. The fibers move through stages labeled coagulating, stretching, washing in a wash tank, applying fiber finish, and drying on heated drum rolls. The finished fibers are either wound into a take-up package or cut into pieces. Arrows and labels indicate solvent diffusion and each stage of the process.
How diamonds can be made from methane
The science and sustainability of bioplastics
How do disposable diapers work?
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Key People

Ziegler
Karl Ziegler
German chemist
Fraser Stoddart
Fraser Stoddart
British-American chemist
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Herman Francis Mark
American chemist
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Carl Shipp Marvel
American chemist
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Werner Kuhn
Swiss chemist
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Stephanie Kwolek
American chemist
Hermann Staudinger.
Hermann Staudinger
German chemist
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes, 2006.
Pierre-Gilles de Gennes
French physicist
Giulio Natta.
Giulio Natta
Italian chemist