Teacher Notes

Activity #1: Dupont and the Development of Nylon: Reading, Talking, and Writing About Synthetics

Description

After reading an article written by two eminent historians for a popular history magazine, Invention and Technology, students as a class or in small groups have a discussion about the issues and ideas presented in the article and write an essay based on their reading.

Duration (approximate): 1 class period (47 minutes)

Learning outcomes and skills

1. Students understand that 20th-century invention and discovery most often occur within corporate research and development laboratories.

2. Students see nylon as a deliberate scientific, developmental, and marketing effort on the part of Du Pont.

What You Will Need

Student Activity Packets which include:

Article: David Hounshell and John Smith, "The Nylon Drama," Invention and Technology (Fall 1988): 40-55.

Essay Questions.

Discussion Questions (if the discussion is to be in small groups).

Additional Information

Although the scientific descriptions in this article are often difficult, it clearly shows the importance of corporate science to modern textiles. You don't have to understand every aspect of how Du Pont developed synthetic fibers to help your students understand the key points made in the article.

Key Points:

• The tension between "pure" and "applied" research at Du Pont shapedthe development of nylon and still exists in large, diversified corporations today.

• Nylon was not the creation of Carothers alone but also depended on the contributions of others.

• The development and commercialization of nylon were as critical to the success of nylon as the discovery of the fiber.

• The choice of hosiery as a target market shaped the development of nylon.

• Think about all of the factors of production that a large corporation such as Du Pont had to control in order to discover nylon and introduce it into the commercial market: an R&D lab, lots of capital, a wide array of sophisticated equipment, technical knowledge of expert staff members, and a strong patent position.

1. What were the four reasons Stine originally listed for establishing an R&D lab?

   *Increase prestige for Du Pont.

   *Improve morale for Du Pont scientists.

   *Generate information that could be traded with other companies.

   *Develop some practical applications.

2. Why was the research lab at Du Pont called "Purity Hall?" Should industry support "pure" research or "applied science?"

   *"Purity Hall" was dedicated to pure research, rather than applied science.

   *Pure research pushes forward the bounds of knowledge; often leads to discoveries that can then be exploited for profit; and keeps scientists happy.

   *Applied science helps solve real problems faced by the company; leads more quickly to profits; and sometimes is described as more helpful to humankind than pure research.

   *Hounshell and Smith, authors of the article, conclude that pure and applied research should exist in tension with each other.

3. What was appealing to Carothers about the job offered at Du Pont in 1928?

   *all research, no teaching
   

   *more research assistants to help
   

   *higher salary
   

4. What kinds of compromises did Carothers make working at Du Pont?

   *Took a chance that you could have an important scientific career outside a university.
   

   *Might not be able to do exactly the research he wanted.
   

5. What scientific problem was Carothers working on when he produced the first laboratory-synthesized fiber?

   *Exploring the nature of polymers/trying to build long chains of molecules.
   

   *Producing neoprene synthetic rubber.
   

6. After polymer fibers were formed in 1929, what other technical problems did Du Pont have to solve in order to make nylon a commercial success?

   *Had to make sure it wouldn't melt below 100 degrees centigrade, be insensitive to water, and be insoluble in dry cleaning fluids. (In other words, the new fibers needed a high melting point and low solubility.)
   

7. In what way was the development of nylon a miracle? In what way was it not so miraculous?

   Miracle:
   

   *New compound, never seen before.
   

   *Had properties never seen before -- strength, stretchability.
   

   *Found while looking for something else.
   

   Not a Miracle:
   

   *Part of a planned attempt to come up with new products.
   

   *Each step of the process had to be exhaustively researched.
   

   *Science takes one step at a time, building on the last discovery to reach the next.
   

8. Which was more important, the scientific discovery of polymers or their commercialization?

   * Had nothing to sell without the original discovery but without marketing, consumers would not know about, or indeed wouldn't want, the new product.

9. Why was Du Pont successful in selling nylon?

   *Focusing on one product -- hosiery -- allowed scientists to develop a production process while sales development staff worked with manufacturers.
   

   *Focus on one process for each production step.
   

   *Held all the patents.
   

10. Why should Du Pont spend money on something new during bad economic times?

    *Knew they could make money if they could produce nylon for stockings at the same price as silk.

11. What were the three questions that had to be answered in the development of nylon?

    *Was it feasible?
    

    *Was it practicable?
    

    *Could it be made with uniform properties on a large scale?
    

12. Who besides Carothers (nameless as well as those whose names are mentioned in the article) contributed to the "invention" of nylon?

    *Charles Stine who hired Carothers to work for Du Pont's new research and development laboratory.
    

    *Chemists who worked with Carothers on the early development.
    

    *Wesley Peterson who discovered how to control polymerization.
    

    *Engineers and chemists who developed the "melt spinning" technology.
    

    *Managers and workers at the Union Manufacturing Company, the Van Ralte mill, and the Seaford pilot plant, who first worked with the fibers and made suggestions for their improvement.
    

    *Researchers who formulated a successful four-component size for nylon to protect the filaments during processing.
    

    *Marketers who told chemists what qualities stockings had to have and developed a selling plan.
    

13. Should government, rather than industry, fund pure research and make the research available free?

    *Level the playing field so that small firms without the funds to finance R&D could take advantage of scientific advances.
    

    *Without the possibility of profiting from research, no one will undertake it.
    

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