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CAS number9003-35-4 Infobox references Jump to: navigation,
search CAS number9003-35-4 Infobox references      Dr. Baekeland
had originally set out to find a replacement for shellac, made
from the excretion of lac beetles. Chemists had begun to
recognize that many natural resins and fibres were polymers, and
Baekeland investigated the reactions of phenol and formaldehyde.
He first produced a soluble phenol-formaldehyde shellac called
"Novolak" that never became a market success, then turned to
developing a binder for asbestos which, at that time, was molded
with rubber. By controlling the pressure and temperature applied
to phenol and formaldehyde, he produced a hard moldable material
and patented in 1907 known as Bakelite.[2][3] It was the first
synthetic thermosetting plastic ever made. It was often referred
to as "the material of 1000 uses", a phrase originated by
Baekeland himself.[4] He announced the invention at a meeting of
the American Che