ComradeHuxley
Donor
Milk plastic or what is Galaith ?
Galalith is a synthetic plastic material manufactured by the interaction of casein and formaldehyde. Given a commercial name derived from the Greek words gala (milk) and lithos (stone), it is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually nonflammable.
This new plastic was presented at Paris Universal Exhibition in our timeline (OTL) 1900 France. It was marketed in the form of boards, pipes and rods, in 1913 thirty million litres of milk were used to produce Galalith in Germany alone. Galalith could produce gemstone imitations that looked strikingly real. By the 1930s, Galalith was also used for pens, umbrella handles, white piano keys (replacing natural ivory), and electrical goods, with world production at that time reaching 10,000 tons.
The lost and found predecessor, Kunsthorn?
The way to create some form of plastic from casein, was first described as far back as the 16th century when in OTL 1530 a German Benedictine monk called Wolfgang Seidel (1492-1562) wrote down the already existing recipe for Kunsthorn, citing the Swiss trader Bartholomäus Schobinger. He used Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to fix the casein mass instead of formaldehyde. A few products made of Kunsthorn were sold by the famous German trading/banking family Fugger.
Then they seem to have been forgotten for a while. The next time Kunsthorn pops up is as part of a business venture by the Lilienthal Brothers (of the aviator fame). They tried to sell some early Lego type play sets which became successful as Anchor Stone Blocks. Unfortunately for them these toys only became successful after another material was used, and somebody already bought the idea from them. The last time it is reinvented and patented happens in America 1885 when Emery Edwin Childs was granted a patent for casein plastic production.
The POD, or how to get earlier Galalith instead of mere Kunsthorn ?
Formaldehyde was first reported in 1859 by the Russian chemist Aleksandr Butlerov (1828–1886). Now Butlerov was very well versed in the German language Butlerov and was even asked by Emil Erlenmeyer, to publish the Russian Version of the journal „Zeitschrift für Chemie“. So it is not impossible, especially as a organic chemist, that he learns about Kunsthorn.
Butlerov was also very economically minded in addition to being a great chemist. He played an important part in the foundation of Russian matchstick, soap factories, always looking for ways to commericalize his scientifc discoveries.
This should be a decent incentive to improve Kunsthorn with the help of modern science. Once he adds Formaldehyde he will see that he is on to something.
His genius combined with his his keen sense for business should be ideal to create a new plastic industry in Russia (and the world).
Notes and Sources:
Seidel’s original recipe:
http://www.deutsches-kunststoff-mus...ourself/rezept-zur-herstellung-von-kunsthorn/
Makromoleküle: Band 3: Industrielle Polymere und Synthesen
von Hans-Georg Elias
http://nzsm.webcentre.co.nz/article1740.htm
Wikipedia
Galalith is a synthetic plastic material manufactured by the interaction of casein and formaldehyde. Given a commercial name derived from the Greek words gala (milk) and lithos (stone), it is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually nonflammable.
This new plastic was presented at Paris Universal Exhibition in our timeline (OTL) 1900 France. It was marketed in the form of boards, pipes and rods, in 1913 thirty million litres of milk were used to produce Galalith in Germany alone. Galalith could produce gemstone imitations that looked strikingly real. By the 1930s, Galalith was also used for pens, umbrella handles, white piano keys (replacing natural ivory), and electrical goods, with world production at that time reaching 10,000 tons.
The lost and found predecessor, Kunsthorn?
The way to create some form of plastic from casein, was first described as far back as the 16th century when in OTL 1530 a German Benedictine monk called Wolfgang Seidel (1492-1562) wrote down the already existing recipe for Kunsthorn, citing the Swiss trader Bartholomäus Schobinger. He used Sodium hydroxide (NaOH) to fix the casein mass instead of formaldehyde. A few products made of Kunsthorn were sold by the famous German trading/banking family Fugger.
Then they seem to have been forgotten for a while. The next time Kunsthorn pops up is as part of a business venture by the Lilienthal Brothers (of the aviator fame). They tried to sell some early Lego type play sets which became successful as Anchor Stone Blocks. Unfortunately for them these toys only became successful after another material was used, and somebody already bought the idea from them. The last time it is reinvented and patented happens in America 1885 when Emery Edwin Childs was granted a patent for casein plastic production.
The POD, or how to get earlier Galalith instead of mere Kunsthorn ?
Formaldehyde was first reported in 1859 by the Russian chemist Aleksandr Butlerov (1828–1886). Now Butlerov was very well versed in the German language Butlerov and was even asked by Emil Erlenmeyer, to publish the Russian Version of the journal „Zeitschrift für Chemie“. So it is not impossible, especially as a organic chemist, that he learns about Kunsthorn.
Butlerov was also very economically minded in addition to being a great chemist. He played an important part in the foundation of Russian matchstick, soap factories, always looking for ways to commericalize his scientifc discoveries.
This should be a decent incentive to improve Kunsthorn with the help of modern science. Once he adds Formaldehyde he will see that he is on to something.
His genius combined with his his keen sense for business should be ideal to create a new plastic industry in Russia (and the world).
Notes and Sources:
Seidel’s original recipe:
http://www.deutsches-kunststoff-mus...ourself/rezept-zur-herstellung-von-kunsthorn/
Makromoleküle: Band 3: Industrielle Polymere und Synthesen
von Hans-Georg Elias
http://nzsm.webcentre.co.nz/article1740.htm
Wikipedia
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