latex

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images

$extraction of latex$ $Latex flows from a cut in the bark of a rubber tree into a small bucket on a lush green plantation in Thailand, with rows of rubber trees in the background.$ $White latex sap drips from a cut in the bark of a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) into a small black container on a plantation, with green foliage in the background.$ $rubber trees$

A three-stage diagram shows the emulsion-polymerization process: monomer droplets, free-radical initiators, and surfactant molecules are added to a water bath; surfactants form micelles around monomers before polymerization; and, after polymerization, latex particles are suspended in the water. Labels identify key components and the transformation from monomer to latex particle.

latex: Media

chemical compound

Images

$extraction of latex$

extraction of latex

Extraction of latex from a rubber tree.

Jan-Pieter Nap

$Latex flows from a cut in the bark of a rubber tree into a small bucket on a lush green plantation in Thailand, with rows of rubber trees in the background.$

natural rubber

Latex being extracted from a rubber tree.

© THAWISAK/stock.adobe.com

$White latex sap drips from a cut in the bark of a rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis) into a small black container on a plantation, with green foliage in the background.$

Rubber tree plantation

Latex flows into a container in from a cultivated rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis).

© Chonticha Wat/Dreamstime.com

rubber trees

Latex being tapped from trees on a rubber plantation near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

P. Morris/Ardea London

A three-stage diagram shows the emulsion-polymerization process: monomer droplets, free-radical initiators, and surfactant molecules are added to a water bath; surfactants form micelles around monomers before polymerization; and, after polymerization, latex particles are suspended in the water. Labels identify key components and the transformation from monomer to latex particle.

schematic diagram of the emulsion-polymerization method

Schematic diagram of the emulsion-polymerization method. Monomer molecules and free-radical...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

VIEW MORE in these related Britannica articles: