History

Invention of a material

The fascinating history of synthetic rubber started with an idea patented 100 years ago – and is far from over yet. In 1909, the chemist Fritz Hofmann succeeded in producing the elastic substance methyl-isoprene, and thus paved the way for the development of synthetic rubber. Hofmann conducted his research at the laboratories of “Elberfelder Farbenfabriken vorm. Friedr. Bayer & Co.” – a company whose tradition is continued today by the specialty chemicals group LANXESS. 

Not a lot was known about rubber back then. For example, it was not until 1905 that it was discovered that the chain molecules of this elastic material comprised countless strings of isoprene molecules, but no one knew how to crosslink them. Nevertheless, Hofmann decided to give it a try. As it was difficult to produce the “natural rubber module” isoprene, Hofmann quickly decided to use methyl-isoprene, which had a very similar chemical structure and was easier to manufacture. He placed the material in tins, heated them, and waited – sometimes even for months. Depending on the temperature, the substance that formed in the tins was sometimes softer, sometimes harder, but it was always elastic. As it turned out, Hofmann had invented methyl rubber. The patent for the world’s first synthetic rubber was awarded a hundred years ago on September 12, 1909.

Continental – a leading rubber company even then – started to produce the first car tires from this new material as early as 1910. Hofmann’s boss Carl Duisberg traveled 4,000 km on the tires “without a puncture”. Even the German Kaiser had his car fitted with the tires and was “extremely pleased” with the results.