A SUBSTITUTE FOR RUBBER

Evening Star, Issue 11724, 5 April 1902, Page 8

A SUBSTITUTE FOR RUBBER

I'he voung shoot of the Rocky Mountain greasewood plant Luis a milky Kip and the old wood a resinous gum, which is soluble in carbon disulpliide, and in other known hydrocarbon solvents of rubber. From the young greasewood sap two inventors have "discovered a method of making artificial indiarubber. The plant is bruised between rollers, wherebv the bark is loosened and the woody fibre' of the larger sterns crushed. The entire mass is then enclosed in a veste', mechanically agitated, and exposed to the action of carbon bisulphide, carbon disulphide. naphtha, or other solvent of indurubber. After exposure for sonic horn's to the action of the solvent, heat being applied if necessary, tie liquid is strained off. The liquid solvent and contained gum axe then placed in a closed vessel and the volatile solvent driven off by heat. The gummy rws that will not volatilise in the still or receiver is then washed in water, either warm or hot, and us then subjected to repeated rollings. The gum resulting is of a brown color, highly flexible and elastic, combustible, and seem* to possess the daract eristics of indhmbber, except that it Las rather a balsamic odor, differing .from the odor of commercial rubber. The g\\;i\ can be vulcanised by the addition of a quantity of sulphur in ihe same manner as the indiarubber of commerce.