What gives a rubber band its elasticity?
If you stretch a rubber band and then release it, it snaps back into its original shape. As you probably know, rubber has elastic properties, which is why its also called an elastomer. However, the natural state of caoutchouc, or raw rubber, is exactly the opposite of elastic. It’s plastic, which means that it can be shaped and formed like putty. In entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
