Synthetic Here To Stay

Letter to the Editor fSIHE article “Rubber’s Uncertain X Future” in May “PIM” omits a lot of important factors. The last para graph of the article is very misleading.

At present there are two tvpes of syn thetic rubber being manufactured for essential war commitments. One is Buna N, the other is Buna S. Both are deriva tives from Butadiene.

Butadiene is one of the many products formed by thermal cracking of petroleum hydrocarbons under pressure of 1,000 lb. per square inch, and at a temperature of over 1,000 degrees F. At the present time more than 100,000 tons per year are manufactured at one plant in eastern US. This plant covers 200 acres, and is not considered to be in full production yet.

A great deal of secrecy was attached to synthetic rubber until Japan gained con trol of most of the countries producing natural rubber. It was then that the chemists and chemical engineers of the big industrial companies of the Allied Nations pooled their research data on the production of synthetic rubber. The type of synthetic rubber which they agreed to make, uses 80 per cent, of Butadiene, a by-product of aviation petrol. The only difference between Buna N and Buna S is that in the first instance, Acrylonitrile is added and in Buna S, Styrene. Both are standard industrial products.

Synthetic rubber has established itself without question since it can be used to greater advantage, in most cases, than natural rubber, and, in other cases, where natural rubber cannot be used at all.

When war commitments are satisfied the general public will find that synthe tic rubber has come to stay, and will no longer be regarded as a competitor of natural rubber, but as a cheaper, and in many instances, superior product.

I am, etc.,

F. W. Bourke.

C/O Angau,

New Guinea.

June, 14, 1945.

The Tongan Government has ap pointed W. R. Carpenter and Co. (Fiji), Ltd., to be its agents in Fiji. W.R.C. & Co. will, therefore purchase and ship goods required by the Tongan Govern ment; care for salaries of Tonga Govern ment officials in Fiji; and act as agents for the Tongan Government’s vessel when visiting Fiji.