Natural Rubber Latex

Properties and uses of natural rubber

The latex contains up to 40% natural rubber, the rest being water and other constituents Natural rubber is a high molecular weight polymeric substance with visco-elastic properties. Structurally it is cis 1,4-polyisoprene. Isoprene is a diene and 1, 4 addition leaves a double bond in each of the isoprene unit in the polymer. Because of this, natural rubber shows all the reactions of an unsaturated polymer. It gives addition compounds with halogens, ozone, hydrogen chloride and several other reactants that react with olefins. An interesting reaction of natural rubber is its combination with sulphur. This is known as vulcanisation. This reaction converts the plastic and viscous nature of raw rubber into elastic. Vulcanised rubber will have very high tensile strength and comparatively low elongation. Its hardness and abrasion resistance also will be high when compared to raw rubber. Because of the unique combination of these properties, natural rubber finds application in the manufacture of a variety of products.