Experiment No.

Title: Burning Plastic Materials

I. OBJECTIVES:

1. To be able to know the properties of a the given plastic materials

2. To be able to know and to understand what polymers is
3. To be able to the capability of that plastic material when it comes to fire

II. INTRODUCTION:

Before we go through to our experiment let me first give you an ideal about
polymers. Polymers are substances whose molecules have high molar masses and are
composed of a large number of repeating units. A polymer can be a three dimensional
network (think of the repeating units linked together left and right, front and back, up and
down) or two-dimensional network (think of the repeating units linked together left, right,
up, and down in a sheet) or a one-dimensional network (think of the repeating units
linked left and right in a chain). Each repeating unit is the -mer or basic unit with poly-
mer meaning many repeating units. Repeating units are often made of carbon and
hydrogen and sometimes oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, chlorine, fluorine, phosphorous, and
silicon. Polymers occur in nature and can be made to serve specific
needs. Manufactured polymers can be three-dimensional networks that do not melt
once formed. Such networks are called THERMOSET polymers. Epoxy resins used in
two-part adhesives are thermoset plastics. Manufactured polymers can also be one-
dimensional chains that can be melted. These chains are THERMOPLASTIC polymers
and are also called LINEAR polymers. Plastic bottles, films, cups, and fibers are
thermoplastic plastics. Polymers are formed by chemical reactions in which a large
number of molecules called monomers are joined sequentially, forming a chain. In many
polymers, only one monomer is used. In others, two or three different monomers may
be combined. Polymers are classified by the characteristics of the reactions by which
they are formed. If all atoms in the monomers are incorporated into the polymer, the
polymer is called an addition polymer. If some of the atoms of the monomers are
released into small molecules, such as water, the polymer is called a condensation
polymer. Most addition polymers are made from monomers containing a double bond
between carbon atoms. Such monomers are called olefins, and most commercial
addition polymers are polyolefins. Condensation polymers are made from monomers
that have two different groups of atoms which can join together to form, for example,
ester or amide links. Polyesters are an important class of commercial polymers, as are
polyamides (nylon).
Characteristics of Polymers

Every polymer has very distinct characteristics, but most polymers have the
following general attributes.

1. Polymers can be very resistant to chemicals. Consider all the cleaning fluids in
your home that are packaged in plastic. Reading the warning labels that describe
what happens when the chemical comes in contact with skin or eyes or is
ingested will emphasize the need for chemical resistance in the plastic
packaging. While solvents easily dissolve some plastics, other plastics provide
safe, non-breakable packages for aggressive solvents.

2. Polymers can be both thermal and electrical insulators. A walk through your
house will reinforce this concept, as you consider all the appliances, cords,
electrical outlets and wiring that are made or covered with polymeric materials.
Thermal resistance is evident in the kitchen with pot and pan handles made of
polymers, the coffee pot handles, the foam core of refrigerators and freezers,
insulated cups, coolers, and microwave cookware. The thermal underwear that
many skiers wear is made of polypropylene and the fiberfill in winter jackets is
acrylic and polyester.

3. Generally, polymers are very light in weight with significant degrees of

strength. Consider the range of applications, from toys to the frame structure of
space stations, or from delicate nylon fiber in pantyhose to Kevlar, which is used
in bulletproof vests. Some polymers float in water while others sink. But,
compared to the density of stone, concrete, steel, copper, or aluminum, all
plastics are lightweight materials.

4. Polymers can be processed in various ways. Extrusion produces thin fibers or

heavy pipes or films or food bottles. Injection molding can produce very intricate
parts or large car body panels. Plastics can be molded into drums or be mixed
with solvents to become adhesives or paints. Elastomers and some plastics
stretch and are very flexible. Some plastics are stretched in processing to hold
their shape, such as soft drink bottles. Other polymers can be foamed like
polystyrene (Styrofoam), polyurethane and polyethylene.

5. Polymers are materials with a seemingly limitless range of characteristics and

colors.Polymers have many inherent properties that can be further enhanced by
a wide range of additives to broaden their uses and applications. Polymers can
be made to mimic cotton, silk, and wool fibers; porcelain and marble; and
aluminum and zinc. Polymers can also make possible products that do not
readily come from the natural world, such as clear sheets and flexible films.
 6. Polymers are usually made of petroleum, but not always. Many polymers are
made of repeat units derived from natural gas or coal or crude oil. But building
block repeat units can sometimes be made from renewable materials such as
polylactic acid from corn or cellulosics from cotton linters. Some plastics have
always been made from renewable materials such as cellulose acetate used for
screwdriver handles and gift ribbon. When the building blocks can be made
more economically from renewable materials than from fossil fuels, either old
plastics find new raw materials or new plastics are introduced.

7. Polymers can be used to make items that have no alternatives from other
materials. Polymers can be made into clear, waterproof films. PVC is used to
make medical tubing and blood bags that extend the shelf life of blood and blood
products. PVC safely delivers flammable oxygen in non-burning flexible tubing.
And anti-thrombogenic material, such as heparin, can be incorporated into
flexible PVC catheters for open heart surgery, dialysis, and blood
collection. Many medical devices rely on polymers to permit effective functioning.

The Structure of Polymers

Many common classes of polymers are composed of hydrocarbons, compounds

of carbon and hydrogen. These polymers are specifically made of carbon atoms bonded
together, one to the next, into long chains that are called the backbone of the
polymer. Because of the nature of carbon, one or more other atoms can be attached to
each carbon atom in the backbone. There are polymers that contain only carbon and
hydrogen atoms. Polyethylene, polypropylene, polybutylene, polystyrene and
polymethylpentene are examples of these. Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) has chlorine
attached to the all-carbon backbone. Teflon has fluorine attached to the all-carbon
backbone.
III. EQUIPMENT USED:

Ruler

Acrylic
Bottle of Zonrox

PCV pipe
IV. PROCEDURE:

1. Prepare or get at least 4 different types of plastic materials

2. Then get a candle and a lighter so it would be easy to burn the plastics

3. Burn all the plastic you prepared and observed what will happen to it and what
will be the smell

4. Lastly is put your observation to the data gathering

V. DATA GATHERING:

Plastic materials OBSERVATION Smell when burning the

plastic

RULER Pulverized The smell of a burning

plastic

Acrylic -Yellow flame Same smell when in fire

-it melted slowly

PVC Pipe Rubbery like substance in Same smell when in fire

the fire

Bottle of Zonrox Becomes liquid drips down Same smell when in fire

The plastic materials after burning it:

VI. CONCLUSION:

Based on my observation throughout this experiment that there are different

types of plastics materials with different properties depending on how they going to
used it. Each plastics materials that weve burned was design for a purpose like the
bottle of zonrox when we burned it its like burning a straw, even though the bottle of
zonrox has a high resistance when it comes to chemicals when it burn it slowly become
liquid dripping down the floor because it properties has a low resistance in fire. Next is
the ruler when we burned the ruler pulverized and it melted slowly because it properties
has a high resistance in fire just like the acrylic. The properties or the materials used in
acrylic and the ruler are just the same they both have high resistance to fire or they
have the fiber flame retardant properties means they not get easily affected by fire and
they are hard to break type of polymer but the ruler is softer than the acrylic. The last
one is the PVC pipe, when we burned the PVC pipe it is not totally affected by the fire
unlike the bottle of zonrox but it was only deformed by the fire which is because PVC
pipe possess fire retarding properties just like acrylic and the ruler, it is also durable,
and oil/chemical resistance. To sum up all this observations and research it was only
the bottle of zonrox which does not possess a fire retarding properties and thats explain
why it become liquid that drips on the floor. In the other hand acrylic, ruler and the PVC
pipe are possess fire retarding properties so that it was only deformed, pulverized
because it does not get easily affected by fire or it has a high resistance in fire.