Neoprene

For polychloroprene at a glance, click here!
Polychloroprene is usually sold under the trade name Neoprene. It's especially resistant to oil. It was the first synthetic elastomer, or rubber to be a hit commercially. It was invented by Arnold Collins, while working under the same fellow who invented nylon, Wallace Carothers.

Polychloroprene is made from the monomer chloroprene, believe it or not, like this:

Chloroprene has two double bonds, so we call it a diene. Polychloroprene has properties similar to those of other diene polymers like polyisoprene and polybutadiene. If you want to know more about diene polymers, click here.

Here is the monomer chloroprene in 3-D:

Other polymers used as elastomers include:

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