Ebonite
Encyclopedia
Ebonite is a brand name for very hard rubber
first obtained by Charles Goodyear
by vulcanizing
rubber for prolonged periods. It is about 30% to 40% sulfur
. Its name comes from its intended use as an artificial substitute for ebony
wood. The material is known generically as hard rubber and has formerly been called "vulcanite", although that name now refers to the mineral vulcanite
.
s, electric plugs, smoking pipe mouthpieces, fountain pen
bodies and nib feeds, and saxophone
and clarinet
mouthpieces
. It is, rarely, used for the body of high quality clarinets. Hard rubber is also often seen as the wheel material in casters. It is also commonly used in physics
classrooms to demonstrate static electricity
. It was used as an insulating material in early electrical and electronic apparatus before bakelite.
Hard rubber was used in the cases of automobile batteries
for years, thus establishing black as their traditional color even long after stronger modern plastics were substituted. It is used in hair combs made by Ace, part of Newell Rubbermaid
, which survive, essentially unchanged, from the days of the US Civil War
. Ebonite is used as an anticorrosive lining for various (mainly storage) vessels that contain hydrochloric acid
.
. It has now been generally replaced by carbon black
-filled polypropylene
.
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
first obtained by Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear
Charles Goodyear was an American inventor who developed a process to vulcanize rubber in 1839 -- a method that he perfected while living and working in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1844, and for which he received patent number 3633 from the United States Patent Office on June 15, 1844Although...
by vulcanizing
Vulcanization
Vulcanization or vulcanisation is a chemical process for converting rubber or related polymers into more durable materials via the addition of sulfur or other equivalent "curatives." These additives modify the polymer by forming crosslinks between individual polymer chains. Vulcanized material is...
rubber for prolonged periods. It is about 30% to 40% sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
. Its name comes from its intended use as an artificial substitute for ebony
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...
wood. The material is known generically as hard rubber and has formerly been called "vulcanite", although that name now refers to the mineral vulcanite
Vulcanite
Vulcanite is a rare copper telluride mineral. The mineral has a metallic luster, and is a green or bronze-yellow shade. It has a hardness between 1 and 2 on the Moh's scale . Its crystal structure is orthorhombic....
.
Applications
It is often used in bowling ballBowling ball
A bowling ball is a spherical ball made from plastic, reactive resin, urethane or a combination of these materials which is used in the sport of bowling. Ten-pin bowling balls generally have a set of three holes drilled in them, one each for the ring and middle finger, and one for the thumb;...
s, electric plugs, smoking pipe mouthpieces, fountain pen
Fountain pen
A fountain pen is a nib pen that, unlike its predecessor the dip pen, contains an internal reservoir of water-based liquid ink. The pen draws ink from the reservoir through a feed to the nib and deposits it on paper via a combination of gravity and capillary action...
bodies and nib feeds, and saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
mouthpieces
Mouthpiece (woodwind)
The mouthpiece of a woodwind instrument is that part of the instrument which is placed partly in the player's mouth. Single-reed instruments, capped double-reed instruments, and fipple flutes have mouthpieces while exposed double-reed instruments and open flutes do not.-Single-reed instruments:On...
. It is, rarely, used for the body of high quality clarinets. Hard rubber is also often seen as the wheel material in casters. It is also commonly used in physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
classrooms to demonstrate static electricity
Static electricity
Static electricity refers to the build-up of electric charge on the surface of objects. The static charges remain on an object until they either bleed off to ground or are quickly neutralized by a discharge. Static electricity can be contrasted with current electricity, which can be delivered...
. It was used as an insulating material in early electrical and electronic apparatus before bakelite.
Hard rubber was used in the cases of automobile batteries
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
for years, thus establishing black as their traditional color even long after stronger modern plastics were substituted. It is used in hair combs made by Ace, part of Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid
Newell Rubbermaid is a global marketer of consumer and commercial products including such well-known brands as Rubbermaid food storage, home organization, and refuse container products; Sharpie, PaperMate, Parker and Waterman writing instruments; Calphalon gourmet cookware; Goody beauty and...
, which survive, essentially unchanged, from the days of the US Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Ebonite is used as an anticorrosive lining for various (mainly storage) vessels that contain hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid
Hydrochloric acid is a solution of hydrogen chloride in water, that is a highly corrosive, strong mineral acid with many industrial uses. It is found naturally in gastric acid....
.
Properties
The material is brittle, which produces problems in its use in battery cases for example, where the integrity of the case is vital to prevent leakage of sulfuric acidSulfuric acid
Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...
. It has now been generally replaced by carbon black
Carbon black
Carbon black is a material produced by the incomplete combustion of heavy petroleum products such as FCC tar, coal tar, ethylene cracking tar, and a small amount from vegetable oil. Carbon black is a form of amorphous carbon that has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, although its...
-filled polypropylene
Polypropylene
Polypropylene , also known as polypropene, is a thermoplastic polymer used in a wide variety of applications including packaging, textiles , stationery, plastic parts and reusable containers of various types, laboratory equipment, loudspeakers, automotive components, and polymer banknotes...
.