Mary J. Terry, aged 12, of South Weymouth, Mass, far her question:
What materials are used to make nylon?
Nylon has become part of our everyday lives. Chances are, your toothbrush bristles are made of nylon. Other brushes around the house are bristled with nylon, Solid Sheets of nylon are made into molds for machinery. Nylon is used when a really powerful towrope is needed. And, of course, every girl knows the delight of owning fine nylon stockings, underwear, blouses and even dresses. Nylon fabric refuses to stay mussy, it washes easily and dries in a jiffy. The wonderful stuff is here to stay.
Nowadays, we know that a store means stockings when it advertises nylons for sale. Hut twenty years ago nobody, or almost nobody, had heard of the amazing man.‑made fiber. The magic brew to make it was ‑perfeeted‑1‑n‑ X935. The first nylon stockings‑were advertised for sale in 1940.
Experts had been working on special chemical mixtures for a number of years. The scientist in charge of some of these brews was Dr. W. H. Carothers. The idea was to farm new substances made of special molecules, It was the research work guided by Dr. Carothers which perfected the magic recipe for nylon.
All substances are made of molecules, tiny particles too small to be seen. Silk, cotton and wool are made of large long‑chain molecules. That is, these molecules are large as molecules go. The chemists tried endless experiments to make molecules of this type from plentiful raw materials. They discovered that certain materials would form these molecules under heat and pressure. The raw materials wars cheap and plentiful. The machinery, the power and the all important knowhow were expensive. But man‑made fabrics could be produced. And they could compete in price with the expensive natural fibers of silk and cotton.
Phenol is an acid, It is processed from coal and oxygen which is present in the air. Diamine is processed from ammonia, hydrogen which is present in water, and nitrogen which is present in the air. These two substances, Phenol and diamine, are combined to make nylon for stockings. In a way, a pair of nylons is made from air, coal and water. But the mixture of the magic brew is no easy matter.
The basic ingredients are heated under great pressure. They merge to form nylon salt. Thisle heated until the particles string together to form those long‑chain molecules, Jets of cold water chill the molten nylon into solid sheets, Chips of this sheet nylon are shipped on their way to be made into molds, bristles and such.
Nylon for fabric is melted again and squeezed into threads through fine spinnerets, The threads are stretched and twisted. The threads are coated with oil and finished before they go to the weaving machines, It is true that the simple ingredients for making nylons come from air, coal and water. Hut it takes hard work, power, machinery and a miracle of chemistry to make them wearable.