Bakelite 

(  /ˈbeɪkɪlaɪt/ US dict: bāk′(ə)līt), or polyoxybenzylmethylenglycolanhydride, is an early plastic.

It is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin, formed from an elimination
reaction of phenol with formaldehyde, usually with a wood flour filler. It was developed in 1907–1909
by Belgian chemistLeo Baekeland.

One of the first plastics made from synthetic components (although phenol can be extracted from
biological sources), Bakelite was used for its electricallynonconductive and heat-resistant properties in
radio and telephone casings and electrical insulators, and also in such diverse products
as kitchenware,jewellery, pipe stems, and children's toys. In 1993 Bakelite was designated a National
Historical Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society in recognition of its significance as the
world's first synthetic plastic.[1]

The "retro" appeal of old Bakelite products and labor intensive manufacturing has made them quite
collectible in recent years.

HISTORY

Dr. Baekeland had originally set out to find a replacement for shellac (made from the excretion of lac
beetles). Chemists had begun to recognize that many natural resins and fibres were polymers, and
Baekeland investigated the reactions of phenol and formaldehyde. He first produced a soluble phenol-
formaldehyde shellac called "Novolak" that never became a market success, then turned to developing a
binder for asbestos which, at that time, was moulded with rubber. By controlling the pressure and
temperature applied to phenol and formaldehyde, he found he could produce his dreamed-of hard
mouldable plastic: bakelite.[2] He announced his invention at a meeting of the American Chemical
Society on February 5, 1909.[3]

The Bakelite Corporation was formed in 1922 (after patent litigation favorable to Baekeland) from a
merger of three companies: the General Bakelite Company, which Baekeland had founded in 1910, the
Condensite Company founded by J.W. Aylesworth, and the Redmanol Chemical Products Company
founded by L.V. Redman.[4]

Bakelite Limited was formed in 1926 from the amalgamation of three suppliers of phenol formaldehyde
materials: the Damard Lacquer Company Limited ofBirmingham; Mouldensite Limited of Darley Dale and
Redmanol Chemical Products Company of London. Around 1928 a new factory opened in Tyseley,
Birmingham, England (subsequently demolished in 1998). In 1939 the company was acquired by
the Union Carbide and Carbon Corporation.

Properties

Phenolics are seldom used in general consumer products today due to the cost and complexity of
production and their brittle nature. An exception to this overall decline is their use in small precision-
shaped components where their specific properties are required, such as molded disc brake cylinders,
saucepan handles, electrical plugs and switches and parts for electrical irons. Today, Bakelite is
manufactured and produced in sheet, rod and tube form for hundreds of industrial applications in
the electronics, power generation and aerospace industries, and under a variety of commercial brand
names, including Garolite.

Bakelite distributor rotor.

Phenolic sheet is a hard, dense material made by applying heat and pressure to layers of paper or glass
cloth impregnated with synthetic resin. These layers of laminations are usually of
cellulose paper, cotton fabrics, synthetic yarn fabrics, glass fabrics or unwoven fabrics. When heat and
pressure are applied to the layers, a chemical reaction (polymerization) transforms the layers into a high-
pressure thermosetting industrial laminated plastic. When rubbed, original Bakelite has a telltale odor.

Bakelite Phenolic is produced in dozens of commercial grades and with various additives to meet diverse
mechanical, electrical and thermal requirements. Some common types include:

 PAPER REINFORCED PHENOLIC NEMA XX per MIL-I-24768 PBG Normal electrical

applications, moderate mechanical strength, continuousoperating temperature of 250°F.
 CANVAS REINFORCED PHENOLIC NEMA C per MIL-I-24768 TYPE FBM NEMA CE per MIL-I-
24768 TYPE FBG Good mechanical and impact strength with continuous operating temperature
of 250°F.
 LINEN REINFORCED PHENOLIC NEMA L per MIL-I-24768 TYPE FBI NEMA LE per MIL-I-
24768 TYPE FEI Good mechanical and electrical strength. Recommended for intricate high
strength parts. Continuous operating temperature 250°F.
 NYLON REINFORCED PHENOLIC NEMA N-1 per MIL-I-24768 TYPE NPG Superior electrical
properties under humid conditions, fungus resistant, continuous operating temperature of 160°F.

[edit]Applications and usage

Bakelite radio at Bakelite museum.

Although no longer extensively used as an industrial manufacturing material, Bakelite was used in myriad
applications including saxophonemouthpieces, whistles, cameras, solid-body electric guitars, rotary-
dial telephones, early machine guns, and appliance casings. The thermosetting plastic was at one point
considered for the manufacture of coins, due to a shortage of traditional manufacturing material. In 1943,
Bakelite and other non-metal materials were tested for usage as a penny in the United States before
the Mint settled on zinc coated steel.[5][6]

Bakelite was used widely from the late 1920s and throughout the 1930s for jewelry. Huge quantities of
beads, bangles and earrings were produced by the Catalin Company which introduced 15 new colours in
1927, and created marbled and translucent plastics. The jewelry of this era is now highly collectable. It
was no longer made after the second world war due to expensive production costs. Jewelry boxes, desk
sets, clocks, radios, kitchenware such as canisters and tableware were also made of Bakelite during the
1930s.

The foremost usage of Bakelite today is as a substitute for porcelain and other opaque ceramics in
applications where fine detail is unimportant (other thermoset resins can capture detail more finely when
molded) and durability over traditional ceramic compounds is desired. As such, a main continuing use for
Bakelite is in the area of board and tabletop games. Devices such as billiard
balls, dominoes, Mahjongg tiles and other gaming tilesets, and movers/pieces for games
like chess, checkers, and backgammon are constructed of Bakelite for the look, durability, fine polish,
weight, and sound of the resulting pieces. Dice are sometimes made of Bakelite for weight and sound, but
the majority are made of a thermoplastic such as ABS. Bakelite is used to make the presentation boxes
of Breitling watches and sometimes as a substitute for metal firearm magazines. Bakelite is also used in
the mounting of metal samples in metallography.[7]

Phenolic resins have been commonly used in ablative heat shields. Soviet heatshields for ICBM
warheads and spacecraft reentry consisted of asbestos textolite impregnated with Bakelite.[8]

Bakelite was used to make Kalashnikov rifle magazines, in particular the AK-74, and Soviet military
firearm grips.[citation needed]

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