Mary Ann Jennings age 12, of Billings, Mont , for her question
WHO INVENTED CELLOPHANE?
A Swiss chemist named Jacques Edwin Brandenberger invented cellophane in 1908 while trying to make a stainproof tablecloth. He produced a smooth, shiny cloth but it was brittle and could not be used as a table covering But he knew he had come up with something good
Brandenberger kept working on his invention In 1911 he designed a machine that could produce a thin sheet of transparent film He called the flexible, moisture resistant material cellophane The first plant to produce cellophane was built in France.
It wasn t until 1924 that cellophane was first produced in the United States
At first, all goods wrapped in cellophane had to be handled by hand because there were no wrapping machines For this reason, the first cellophane was used only to wrap luxury goods
The cellophane industry grew rapidly after wrapping machines and completely moistureproof cellophane were developed in the 19306 By the early 19606 the United States cellophane industry had reached its peak production of 425 millions pounds a year
The use of cellophane began to decline in the mid 19606 because of competition from plastics and other flexible packaging materials
Today about 90 percent of the cellophane made in the United States is used to package products that require protection from moisture Transparent cellophane protects candy and many other products Nontransparent cellophane bags are used for such snack foods as pretzels and potato chips
Cellophane is made from cellulose, a substance found in plant fibers, Manufacturers use a chemical process to obtain cellulose from wood Machines mix the cellulose with carbon disulfide The mixture is then dissolved in caustic soda to form a sticky fluid called viscose
The viscose flows through a long slit to form a thin sheet of liquid, which drops into sulfuric acid. The acid changes the sheet of liquid into cellophane
Machines dip the cellophane into liquids that remove impurities from the product and make it flexible Finally it is dried
Manufacturers coat most cellophane with a material that makes it airproof and moistureproof Certain kinds of cellophane have coating that lets some air and moisture pass through
Most cellophane is one one thousandth of an inch thick
Cellophane forms attractive packages because it has a shiny appearance and it can also be printed with labels and decorative designs
Cellophane can be laminated or stuck to aluminum foil or paper to form special wrapping materials
other products made from cellophane include drinking straws envelopes ribbons and sticky tape used for mending and sealing