Community Magazine December 2013

TEVET 5774 DECEMBER 2013 27 The Mystery of Latex So much for the work of man. But what of the actual substance, and the trees from which it stems? Latex is found in a wide variety of trees and other plants, but some aspects of latex still remain a mystery to men of knowledge. Scientists know that latex is not a sap, but they are not sure of its use to the plant. There are those who think that latex acts as a kind of protective substance when a plant has been wounded. But if this is the case, why do some trees have latex in super abundance (such as the rubber tree) and so many have none? As we shall see, the answer to the question is that the Creator of the Universe knew that mankind would need rubber, so He created latex! The milky liquid called latex consists of about 30 to 35 percent pure rubber. Water accounts for another 60-65 percent, with the remainder formed by resins, proteins, and sugar. The latex holds tiny globules (particles) of rubber in the same way that milk holds butterfat. The rubber tree (known officially as the hevea tree ) grows best in hot, moist climates. The latex which contains the rubber flows through a series of tubes in the layer of the tree directly under the bark. When this layer is pierced, the latex oozes out. Plantation workers, called “tappers,” begin work at daybreak, because the latex flows most freely in the cool morning air. The tapper removes a thin shaving of bark with a tool shaped so that the bottom of the groove forms a channel. The groove slants diagonally downward about halfway around the trunk. At the bottom of the cut, the tapper attaches a U-shaped metal spout, and below that, a small cup. The latex oozes from the inner bark, and flows down the channel into a collecting cup. Don’t feel sorry for the cut bark – as the latex dries, it seals the cut! Each tapper works on about 350 trees on one round of tapping, which takes him about three hours. After tapping the last tree, the tapper makes a second round to collect the latex, removing the dried latex and making a fresh cut. Rubber trees yield their full capacity of latex for about 25-30 years. What is most amazing is that after about three or four years, the grooves in the tree reach the ground. The tapper then goes to the other side of the tree, and begins cutting the bark there. By the time the second set of grooves reaches the ground, the bark has grown back on the first grooves, and it is ready to be tapped again! Thank Gd for Rubber! Rubber is a wonder product.We depend on it somuch that it would be almost impossible to manage without it. It is the only material that is elastic, airtight, water resistant, shock absorbing, and resilient. Manufacturers make between 40,000 and 50,000 rubber products. A typical car has about 600 rubber parts. Think of waterproof aprons, boots, raincoats, hot-water bottles, ice bags, elastic bands, bathing caps, goggles, rubber life-rafts, golf balls, tennis balls, bottle stoppers, rubber gloves, and shoe soles. How could we manage without it? Our whole transport system is dependent on rubber. More than half the rubber used in the world goes into tires and tubes, which in turn are fitted onto cars, airplanes, bicycles, trucks, tractors, and construction machinery. Modern society would quite literally grind to a halt without this amazing “fruit” of the rubber tree. Everything that has been created has been created for purpose. Who could have known that the humble juice of the hevea tree would one day keep the wheels of society running smoothly? The Creator of the Universe knew that one day mankind would require the services and qualities of rubber – and so He created the rubber tree with its ever flowing latex to satisfy that need. Thank you Hashem! Tuvia Cohen is a humorist, scientist, and an accomplished author. His works include Designer World, Our Amazing World, and Our Wondrous World. Rubber Tree Plantation Attached to each tree is a U- shaped metal spout, and below that, a small cup. The latex oozes from the inner bark, and flows down the channel into the cup. Accidental Discovery Of Vulcanized Rubber Inventor Charles Goodyear stumbled upon the vulcanization of rubber in 1839 when he accidentally dropped some gum-and-sulfur mix onto a hot stove. He found that rather than melting into a syrupy consistency, the mix hardened into a leather-like texture. Goodyear is officially credited as the creator of vulcanized rubber, and the multi-billion-dollar Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. was named after him to honor his discovery and years of work. The First Raincoats In 1823, Scottish chemist Charles Macintosh patented a method for making waterproof garments by using rubber dissolved in coal-tar naphtha for cementing two pieces of cloth together. The now famous Macintosh raincoat was named after him. However, his first raincoats were problematic, becoming very stiff in winter and sticky in summer. It took Charles Goodyear’s 1839 discovery of vulcanization to firm up the Mac’s role as the preferred type of rainwear. Sneaker Ingredients To make vulcanized rubber, a base rubber must first be produced. For natural rubber, the sap of the Pará tree is collected. Synthetic rubber is made from a cocktail of monomers or small molecules that may be cross-bonded. Final products can be shaped during the vulcanization process or stamped from the cooled rubber afterwards. It is in these implementations that the material is ideal for footwear manufacture.