Uphuhliso lweplastiki lunokulandelwa emva phakathi kwe-19. Ngelo xesha, ukuze kuhlangatyezwane neemfuno zoshishino lwelaphu olwalukhula e-UK, iingcali zekhemistri zaxuba iikhemikhali ezahlukeneyo, zinethemba lokwenza i-bleach kunye nedayi. Iingcali zekhemistri ziyithanda kakhulu i-tar yamalahle, eyinkunkuma efana ne-curd edityaniswe kwiitshimini zefektri ezitshiswa yigesi yendalo.

UWilliam Henry Platinum, umncedisi welebhu kwiRoyal Institute of Chemistry eLondon, wayengomnye wabantu abenze olu vavanyo. Ngenye imini, xa iplatinum yayisula iikhemikhali ezazichitheke ebhentshini kwilebhu, kwafunyaniswa ukuba le ngubo yayidaywe yaba yi-lavender eyayingafumaneki kangako ngelo xesha. Oku kufunyaniswa ngengozi kwenza iplatinum yangena kwishishini lokudaya kwaye ekugqibeleni yaba sisityebi.
Nangona ukufunyanwa kweplatinum kungeyoplastiki, oku kufunyanwa ngengozi kubaluleke kakhulu kuba kubonisa ukuba iikhompawundi ezenziwe ngumntu zinokufunyanwa ngokulawula izinto zendalo eziphilayo. Abavelisi baqaphele ukuba izinto ezininzi zendalo ezifana nomthi, i-amber, irabha, kunye neglasi zinqabile kakhulu okanye zibiza kakhulu okanye azifanelekanga ukuvelisa ngobuninzi kuba zibiza kakhulu okanye aziguquguquki ngokwaneleyo. Izinto ezenziweyo ziindawo ezifanelekileyo. Zingatshintsha imo phantsi kobushushu noxinzelelo, kwaye zinokugcina imo emva kokuba zipholile.
UColin Williamson, umseki weLondon Society for the History of Plastics, uthe: “Ngelo xesha, abantu babejongene nokufumana enye indlela engabizi kakhulu nelula ukuyitshintsha.”
Emva kweplatinum, omnye umntu waseNgilani, uAlexander Parks, waxuba i-chloroform ne-castor oil ukuze enze into eqinileyo njengeempondo zezilwanyana. Le yayiyiplastiki yokuqala yokwenziwa. Iipaki zinethemba lokusebenzisa le plastiki yenziwe ngabantu ukuze ithathe indawo yerabha engasetyenziswa kakhulu ngenxa yeendleko zokutyala, ukuvuna kunye nokucubungula.
UJohn Wesley Hyatt, umkhandi wentsimbi waseNew York, wazama ukwenza iibhola zebhiliyadi ngezinto zokwenziwa endaweni yeebhola zebhiliyadi ezenziwe ngendlovu. Nangona engazange ayisombulule le ngxaki, wafumanisa ukuba ngokuxuba i-camphor nesixa esithile sesinyibilikisi, izinto ezinokutshintsha imo emva kokufudumeza zinokufunyanwa. UHyatt ubiza le nto ngokuba yi-celluloid. Olu hlobo lutsha lweplastiki luneempawu zokuveliswa ngobuninzi ngoomatshini kunye nabasebenzi abangenazakhono. Izisa kwishishini leefilimu izinto ezomeleleyo neziguquguqukayo ezibonakala ngokucacileyo ezinokuveza imifanekiso eludongeni.
I-Celluloid ikwakhuthaze uphuhliso lweshishini leerekhodi zasekhaya, kwaye ekugqibeleni yatshintsha iirekhodi zokuqala ze-cylindrical. Iiplastiki zamva nje zingasetyenziselwa ukwenza iirekhodi ze-vinyl kunye neeteyiphu zekhasethi; ekugqibeleni, i-polycarbonate isetyenziselwa ukwenza ii-compact discs.
I-Celluloid yenza ukufota kube ngumsebenzi onemarike ebanzi. Ngaphambi kokuba uGeorge Eastman enze i-celluloid, ukufota kwakuyinto ebiza kakhulu neyinzima kuba umfoti kwakufuneka ayiphuhlise ngokwakhe ifilimu. U-Eastman weza nengcamango entsha: umthengi wayethumela ifilimu egqityiweyo evenkileni awayeyivulile, waza wayiphuhlisa ifilimu yomthengi. I-Celluloid yinto yokuqala ecacileyo enokwenziwa ibe liphepha elincinci kwaye ingenziwa ikhamera.
Malunga neli xesha, u-Eastman wadibana nomphambukeli osemtsha waseBelgium, uLeo Beckeland. UBaekeland wafumanisa uhlobo lwephepha lokuprinta olunovelwano kakhulu ekukhanyeni. U-Eastman wathenga into eyenziwe nguBeckland ngeedola zaseMelika ezingama-750,000 (ezilingana needola zaseMelika ezizizigidi ezi-2.5 zangoku). Ngemali ekhoyo, uBaekeland wakha ilebhu. Kwaye ngo-1907 wavelisa iplastiki yephenolic.
Le nto intsha iphumelele kakhulu. Iimveliso ezenziwe ngeplastiki ye-phenolic ziquka iifowuni, iintambo ezigqunyiweyo, amaqhosha, iipropeller zeenqwelo-moya, kunye neebhola zebhiliyadi ezikumgangatho ophezulu.
Inkampani iParker Pen yenza iipeni ezahlukeneyo zemithombo yamanzi ngeplastiki yephenolic. Ukuze kuqinisekiswe ukuqina kweeplastiki zephenolic, inkampani yenze umboniso esidlangalaleni kuluntu yaza yalahla ipeni kwizakhiwo eziphakamileyo. Iphephancwadi i-“Time” linikele ngenqaku elingaphezulu ukuze lazise umsunguli weplastiki yephenolic kunye nale nto "ingasetyenziswa izihlandlo ezingamawaka"
Kwiminyaka embalwa kamva, ilebhu kaDuPont nayo yenze olunye uphuculo ngengozi: yenza i-nylon, imveliso ebizwa ngokuba yisilika yokwenziwa. Ngo-1930, uWallace Carothers, isazinzulu esasisebenza kwilebhu yaseDuPont, wafaka intonga yeglasi eshushu kwi-molecule organic compound ende waza wafumana izinto ezithambileyo kakhulu. Nangona iimpahla ezenziwe nge-nylon yasekuqaleni zanyibilika phantsi kobushushu obuphezulu besinyithi, umqambi wayo uCarothers waqhubeka nokwenza uphando. Kwiminyaka esibhozo kamva, iDuPont yazisa i-nylon.
I-nylon isetyenziswa kakhulu ebaleni, iiparashuti kunye nemitya yezihlangu zonke zenziwe nge-nylon. Kodwa abafazi bayayisebenzisa ngenzondelelo i-nylon. Ngomhla we-15 kuMeyi 1940, abafazi baseMelika bathengise iipare ezizigidi ezi-5 zee-nylon stockings ezenziwe yiDuPont. Ii-nylon stockings azifumaneki lula, kwaye abanye oosomashishini baqalise ukuzenza ii-nylon stockings.
Kodwa ibali lempumelelo ye-nylon linesiphelo esibuhlungu: umqambi wayo, uCarothers, wazibulala ngokuthatha i-cyanide. USteven Finnichell, umbhali wencwadi ethi “Plastic”, uthe: “Ndifumene umbono emva kokufunda idayari kaCarothers: UCarothers uthe izinto awaziyilayo zazisetyenziselwa ukuvelisa iimpahla zabasetyhini. Iikawusi zaziziva zidanile kakhulu. Wayesisifundiswa, nto leyo eyamenza waziva enganyamezeleki.” Wayevakalelwa kukuba abantu babeya kucinga ukuba impumelelo yakhe ephambili yayikukuvelisa “imveliso eqhelekileyo yorhwebo.”
Ngelixa iDuPont yayinomdla kakhulu kwiimveliso zayo ezazithandwa kakhulu ngabantu, amaBritane afumanise ukusetyenziswa okuninzi kweplastiki kwicandelo lezomkhosi ngexesha lemfazwe. Olu vumbululo lwenziwe ngengozi. Izazinzulu kwilabhoratri yeRoyal Chemical Industry Corporation yase-United Kingdom zenze uvavanyo olungenanto yakwenza noku, zaza zafumanisa ukuba kukho i-white wax precipitate ezantsi kwetyhubhu yovavanyo. Emva kovavanyo lwelabhoratri, kwafunyaniswa ukuba le nto yinto ebalaseleyo yokukhusela. Iimpawu zayo zahlukile kwiglasi, kwaye amaza eradar anokudlula kuyo. Izazinzulu ziyibiza ngokuba yi-polyethylene, kwaye ziyisebenzisela ukwakha indlu yezikhululo zeradar zokubamba umoya nemvula, ukuze iradar isakwazi ukubamba iinqwelo-moya zotshaba phantsi kwemvula kunye nenkungu eninzi.
UWilliamson weSociety for the History of Plastics uthe: “Kukho izinto ezimbini eziqhuba ukuveliswa kweplastiki. Enye into kukufuna ukwenza imali, enye into yimfazwe.” Nangona kunjalo, yayingamashumi eminyaka alandelayo enza iplastiki yaba yiFinney ngokwenene. UChell wayibiza ngokuba luphawu “lwenkulungwane yezinto ezenziwe ngokwenziwa.” Kwiminyaka yoo-1950, kwavela izikhongozeli zokutya ezenziwe ngeplastiki, iijagi, iibhokisi zesepha kunye nezinye iimveliso zasekhaya; kwiminyaka yoo-1960, kwavela izitulo ezinokufuthwa. Kwiminyaka yoo-1970, iingcali zendalo zathi iplastiki ayinakuwohloka ngokwazo. Inzondelelo yabantu ngeemveliso zeplastiki iye yehla.
Nangona kunjalo, ngeminyaka yoo-1980 noo-1990, ngenxa yemfuno enkulu yeplastiki kwimizi-mveliso yeemoto kunye neekhompyutha, iiplastiki zaqinisa isikhundla sazo ngakumbi. Akunakwenzeka ukuyikhanyela le nto iqhelekileyo. Kwiminyaka engamashumi amahlanu eyadlulayo, ihlabathi lalinokuvelisa amashumi amawaka eetoni zeplastiki kuphela ngonyaka; namhlanje, imveliso yeplastiki yonyaka yehlabathi idlula iitoni ezili-100 lezigidi. Imveliso yeplastiki yonyaka eMelika idlula imveliso edibeneyo yentsimbi, i-aluminium kunye nobhedu.
Iiplastiki ezintshakunye nezinto ezintsha zisafunyanwa. UWilliamson weSociety for the History of Plastics uthe: “Abayili kunye nabayili baya kusebenzisa iiplastiki kwinkulungwane ezayo. Akukho zinto zosapho ezifana neplastiki ezivumela abayili kunye nabayili ukuba bagqibezele iimveliso zabo ngexabiso eliphantsi kakhulu.