Remember Wallace Carothers who discovered nylon? Well, nylon is not the only feather in his cap. He is also credited for the invention of neoprene, one of the first synthetic rubbers. In fact, Carothers invented neoprene before nylon.
In the 1930s, natural rubber was expensive as there was a high demand for it. At Du Pont, Carothers was trying to produce a synthetic material which had the characteristics of natural rubber. When it was first discovered, the substance was called Duprene.
Though neoprene had desirable qualities, it had one major drawback. Duprene produced a severe bad odour. They tried bringing out some changes in the production process and finally managed to get rid of the unpleasant odour. This also reduced the cost of production. Its name was later changed to neoprene.
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