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Nylon is one of the most important chemical discoveries of the 20th century .It is one of the toughest , strongest and most elastic substances we have today . It is a synthetic plastic material which is made from chemicals derived from coal, water, air, petroleum, agricultural by-products and natural gas .

It was first developed by a research team headed by a U.S. chemist Wallace H.Corothers working in E.l. Dupant De Nemours & Co. He began experimenting with it in the 1920s. In 1935, he produced the first piece of nylon. It was converted into cloth in 1937.

Nylon is made from two chemical compounds : Hexamethylenediamine consists of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen. Adipic acid contains carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. Each of these substances contains six carbon atoms and the Nylon-6, 6. Manufacturers combine the two compounds to form a substance called nylon salt. A solution of nylon salt is placed in an autoclave (a heating device). The autoclave heats the solution under pressure. Water is removed and the small molecules in the compound , combine to form large molecules. This process is called polymerisation.

When caprolactam is used as the starting material, Nylon -6, 6 is obtained. It has been so named because it has six carbon atoms in the basic unit. It is comparatively a recent development.

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