Description and Chemistry of Gutta-percha
- Gutta-percha trees are 5-30 meters tall and up to 1 meter in trunk diameter.
- The leaves are evergreen, glossy green above, and often yellow or glaucous below.
- The flowers have a white corolla with acute lobes and are produced in small clusters along the stems.
- The fruit is an ovoid berry, 3-7 cm long, containing one to four seeds.
- Gutta-percha is a polyterpene, a polymer of isoprene.
- It exists in alpha and beta forms, with the alpha form being brittle at room temperature.
- The trans structure of gutta-percha crystallizes, leading to a more rigid material.
- Latex rubbers are amorphous, while gutta-percha is crystalline.
- Gutta-percha is a thermoplastic material.
Historic Uses and Electrical Uses of Gutta-percha
- Gutta-percha was used by natives of the Malaysian archipelago for making various items.
- John Tradescant discovered gutta-percha in the far east in 1656.
- William Montgomerie introduced gutta-percha for medical use in the West.
- Gutta-percha became popular in the 19th century for domestic and industrial purposes.
- It was particularly important for manufacturing underwater telegraph cables.
- Michael Faraday discovered gutta-percha's value as an electrical insulator.
- Gutta-percha was used for telegraph wires and undersea telegraph cables.
- It served as an insulating sealant for electrical cables.
- Since 1940, polyethylene has replaced gutta-percha as an electrical insulator.
Other Uses of Gutta-percha
- Gutta-percha was used to make furniture, utensils, and mourning jewelry.
- It was used for pistol hand grips and rifle shoulder pads.
- Gutta-percha was used in canes and walking sticks.
- It was used to reinforce the soles of football players' boots in the 1860s.
- The wood of many gutta-percha tree species is valuable.
History and Discovery of Gutta-percha
- Gutta-percha was first discovered in Southeast Asia in the early 19th century.
- It gained popularity in the mid-19th century as a versatile material.
- Gutta-percha was used in various industries, including telegraphy, dentistry, and textile arts.
- The HMS Challenger expedition in the 1870s played a significant role in exploring and documenting gutta-percha.
- The material was exhibited at the Great Exhibition in 1851, showcasing its potential.
Applications, Properties, and Manufacturing of Gutta-percha
- Gutta-percha was widely used in the telegraph industry as an insulating material for underwater cables.
- It was also used in dentistry for root canal treatments and silk painting as a resist technique.
- Gutta-percha is a natural latex produced from the sap of various trees, primarily Palaquium species.
- It is highly flexible, durable, and resistant to water and chemicals.
- The material has excellent electrical insulation properties and can be softened and molded when heated.
- The extraction of gutta-percha involves tapping the tree trunks and collecting the latex, which is then processed and molded into desired forms using heat and pressure.
- Manufacturing processes have evolved over time, with injection molding being used for dental applications.
This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2016) |
Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus Palaquium in the family Sapotaceae. The name also refers to the rigid, naturally biologically inert, resilient, electrically nonconductive, thermoplastic latex derived from the tree, particularly from Palaquium gutta; it is a polymer of isoprene which forms a rubber-like elastomer.
The word "gutta-percha" comes from the plant's name in Malay: getah translates as "latex" and percha (perca) means "scrap" or "rag".
Borrowed from Malay getah perca.
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