SYNTHETIC FIBRES AND PLASTICS 

• A Synthetic Fibre is a chain of small units joined together. Each small unit is actually a chemical substance. Many such small units combine to form a Large Single Unit Called A POLYMER.
• Polymers occur in nature also. Cotton, For Example, is A Polymer Called Cellulose. Cellulose is made up of a large number of glucose units.

• SILK FIBRE obtained from silkworm was discovered in China and was kept as a closely guarded secret for a long time. Attempts were made to make silk artificially.

Towards the end of the nineteenth century, scientists were successful in obtaining A FIBRE having properties similar to that of silk. Such a fibre was obtained by chemical treatment of wood pulp. This fibre was called rayon or artificial silk.