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Why is plastic black?


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Actually plastic polymers are normally not black unless dyed. Also, why should it be black due to the presence of carbon?

 

I don't know why, that's why I was asking. Most plastic is made from petroleum and is then heated in high-temperature furnaces and then it soldifies.

 

According to Wikipedia Petroleum is usually black or dark brown so I just thought plastic is black because it's made from petroleum.

Edited by Uri
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what i was responding to was:

 

why should it be black due to the presence of carbon?

 

and i think that like as charcoal (95% carbon), carbon is black so that's why i would think carbon powder is black.

and uri said its also black as petroleum although i think petroleum is really more hydrocarbon.

Edited by dr432
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"Most plastic is made from petroleum and is then heated in high-temperature furnaces and then it soldifies. "

It's a whole lot more complicated that that.

Almost all plastics are made from materials that are temselves made from fractions distilled from petroleum.

The distilled products are generally colourless and the compounds derived from them generally are too.

 

The only plastic I can think of that is "naturally" black is bakelite. but even in the case of bakelite the colour is due to degradation products- in principle the polymer could be made colourless.

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