What Makes Rubber Rubbery?

Reactions is looking at sports science today. Sports balls owe their reliability to an unusual polymer. Learn about the chemistry of rubber the all-star’s best friend just in time for NFL football to kick off!

Check out more slo-mo footage from Florian Knorn here: https://www.youtube.com/user/elfloz/videos

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Producer:
Elaine Seward

Writer:
Alexa Billow

Executive Producer:
Adam Dylewski

Scientific consultants:
Nilesh Shah, Ph.D.
Darcy Gentleman, Ph.D.
Kyle Nackers

Music:
Robert Dagilo - Mr. Fantastic
Sam Leopard - Cool Ivy
Sam Leopard - The Gold Melody

Sources:
1: http://gizmodo.com/were-footballs-ever-really-made-of-pigskin-1513061556

2: https://books.google.com/books?id=ARFEAAAAQBAJ&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=polysulfide+rocket+fuel&source=bl&ots=g0yTWrxwfK&sig=mqy9lxSIeQ8Q7AOBTdEruhkHV0k&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi63fvctJjVAhWCZj4KHaJeDggQ6AEIQjAF#v=onepage&q=polysulfide%20rocket%20fuel&f=false

3: https://www.britannica.com/science/rubber-chemical-compound
here’s an ACS pubs ref citing that plant as a source, if we want something peer reviewed http://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/ma1004869

4: http://latexallergyresources.org/cross-reactive-food

5: https://www.britannica.com/technology/vulcanization

6: http://indianapublicmedia.org/amomentofscience/superballs/

7: https://connecticuthistory.org/charles-goodyear-and-the-vulcanization-of-rubber/
another Goodyear biography (written in 1939) http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ie50358a003

8: http://nvaughn.weebly.com/vulcanized-rubber.html

9: http://www.andersondevelopment.com/pdf/urethane-101.pdf
Thiokol as rocket fuel http://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cen-v035n043.p024

10: http://www.bbc.com/sport/american-football/30960969

11: http://www.iisrp.com/webpolymers/01finalpolybutadienever2.pdf

12: http://www.espn.com/nba/playoffs/2015/story/_/id/13030284/nba-playoffs-game-ball-road-nba-finals

13: https://pubs.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/stuff/7713scit3.html

14: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-brief-history-of-the-baseball-3685086/

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