Where does rubber come from?

               Natural rubber comes from a kind of tree that originally grew in South America. Its liquid sap, called latex, is drained from the tree by making cuts in the bark.  The latex is collected and processed into rubber. Natural rubber is very soft and is used for making the soles of shoes and sandals.

               In 1839 Charles Goodyear, an American inventor, found that heating rubber together with sulphur made it much harder. This process, known as vulcanization, made it possible to use rubber for vehicle tyres. Rubber is now used for electrical insulation, motor tyres, cushions, golf balls and many other applications.

               Since World War II most of the rubber we use has been produced synthetically. Rubber’s properties are based on the way its molecules link up into long chains, making giant molecules called polymers.

Picture credit: google