why do elastic material on clothes get crunchy when it gets old?
In: Chemistry
Rubber and stuff has chemicals and compounds it it that help make it stretchy. These can either evaporate over time, or solidify if not streched. As an example, the moon Rover the astronauts used has wire mesh wheels because in hard vaccum rubber would just turn hard and brittle immediately.
http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-120508a.html
Elastic materials need long chains of molecules to be able to stretch (think scrunched up string). Two things can happen after a long time in air and light.
either
(a) chemical reactions between the chains of molecules link them together so they cant stretch out or
(b) chemical reactions that cut the chains up. This can cause them to crystallise going hard
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