Plastics are derived from natural materials like gas, oil, and plants that are refined and processed to create polymers. Ethane and propane are cracked into ethylene and propylene, which are combined with a catalyst to form a powdery polymer that is melted and extruded into pellets. These pellets are shipped to factories and molded into various plastic products like water bottles, auto parts, and medical devices. Plastics get their name from the Greek word 'plastikos' meaning 'to form,' and they are polymers made of chains of repeating monomers linked together through polymerization.

1. plastic
Rethink plastics

2. Plastics are derived from materials found in nature,like
gas, oil, coal, minerals, and plants (e.g. rubber from a
rubber tree is a plastic), which are refined into ethane and
propane. Ethane and propane are then treated with heat
in a process called “cracking” which turns them into
ethylene and propylene. These materials are combined
together to create different polymers. The monomers
ethylene and propylene are combined with a catalyst to
create a polymer, which looks like powdered laundry
detergent.The polymer is fed into an extruder, where it is
melted and fed into a pipe.

3. Word plastic
The plastic forms a long tube as it cools.
The tube is cut into small pellets. Pellets are
shipped to factories to be melted and molded into
water bottles, food packaging, auto parts, medical
devices and much more.
The word "plastic" or "plastics" comes from the
Greek word "plastikos," meaning “to grow" or "to
form." The word was used first as an adjective
meaning "formative” (capable of being deformed
without rupture), then it began to be used as a
noun.

4. Atoms: smallest units of matter
Molecules: groups of atoms bonded together
Polymers: chains of repeating smaller molecules
(called monomers) that are linked together
Polymerisation: the process of combining monomers
by heat and pressure.
This is the reason many plastics begin with “poly-”,
such as polyethylene, polystyrene, and
polypropylene. Though there are other types of
polymers, plastics are one of the most common and
known to be lightweight, strong, and useful.
Vasiliki Dogani, Mougios Andreas