what is rubber

Rubber is a resilient, elastic polymer that is used in a wide range of products, including car and bicycle tires, mechanical parts such as mountings, gaskets, belts, and hoses, as well as consumer products such as shoes, clothing, furniture, and toys. Rubber can be obtained from the exudations of certain tropical plants, such as the Hevea brasiliensis tree, which produces a milky fluid called latex that contains solids suspended in it. Natural rubber is made from this latex, which is a mixture of proteins and water-saturated rubber particles. The main chemical constituents of rubber are elastomers, or “elastic polymers,” large chainlike molecules that can be stretched to great lengths and yet recover their original shape. The first common elastomer was polyisoprene, from which natural rubber is made. Synthetic rubber, on the other hand, is made by linking polymer molecules together, mainly polymers synthesized from petroleum by-products. Rubber is processed to turn it into a usable product, and chemicals are added to make it stable. To make rubber strong and durable, it goes through a heat-treatment phase known as vulcanization, which creates extra bonds or cross-links between the rubber molecules to make it stronger.