Natural Rubber

Polyisoprene tapped from Hevea trees — useless when sticky, world-changing once vulcanized.

Core Principles & Analysis

• Charles Goodyear’s 1839 vulcanization crosslinked the chains with sulfur into durable elastic.
• Seeds smuggled from Brazil in 1876 seeded the Asian plantations that broke the Amazon monopoly.
• Latex is the tree’s wound response, tapped in spirals without killing the trunk.

Specifications & Metrics

• MONOMER: Isoprene (C₅H₈)