第1自然段

In 1907, Leo Hendrick Baekeland, a Belgian scientist working in New York, discovered and patented a revolutionary new synthetic material. His invention, which he named ‘Bakelite’, was of enormous technological importance, and effectively launched the modern plastics industry.

第1自然段

1907年，一位在纽约工作的比利时科学家Leo Hendrick Baekeland发现并获得了一种革命性的新合成材料的专利。他将这个发明命名为“巴克elite”，它具有巨大的技术重要性，并有效地推动了现代塑料工业的发展。

第2自然段

The term ‘plastic’ comes from the Greek plassein, meaning ‘to mould’. Some plastics are derived from natural sources, some are semi-synthetic (the result of chemical action on a natural substance), and some are entirely synthetic, that is, chemically engineered from the constituents of coal or oil. Some are ‘thermoplastic’, which means that, like candlewax, they melt when heated and can then be reshaped. Others are ‘thermosetting’: like eggs, they cannot revert to their original viscous state, and their shape is thus fixed for ever. Bakelite had the distinction of being the first totally synthetic thermosetting plastic.

第2自然段

“塑料”一词来源于希腊语plassein，意为“塑造”。一些塑料是从天然源头中提取的，一些是半合成的（通过对天然物质进行化学反应而产生的），还有一些是完全合成的，也就是从煤炭或石油的组成部分经过化学处理而得到的。有些是“热塑性”的，意味着像蜡烛蜡一样，在加热时会熔化，然后可以重新塑形。其他的则是“热固性”的：就像鸡蛋一样，它们无法恢复到原来的粘稠状态，因此它们的形状是永久固定的。巴克elite之所以与众不同，是因为它是第一种完全合成的热固性塑料。

第3自然段

The history of today’s plastics begins with the discovery of a series of semi-synthetic thermoplastic materials in the mid-nineteenth century. The impetus behind the development of these early plastics was generated by a number of factors – immense technological progress in the domain of chemistry, coupled with wider cultural changes, and the pragmatic need to find acceptable substitutes for dwindling supplies of ‘luxury’ materials such as tortoiseshell and ivory.

第3自然段

当今塑料的历史始于19世纪中叶对一系列半合成热塑性材料的发现。这些早期塑料的发展推动力来自于多种因素 - 化学领域的巨大技术进步，以及更广泛的文化变革，以及寻找可替代的“奢侈品”材料（如玳瑁壳和象牙），因其供应逐渐减少而产生了实用上的需求。

第4自然段

Baekeland’s interest in plastics began in 1885 when, as a young chemistry student in Belgium, he embarked on research into phenolic resins, the group of sticky substances produced when phenol (carbolic acid) combines with an aldehyde (a volatile fluid similar to alcohol). He soon abandoned the subject, however, only returning to it some years later. By 1905 he was a wealthy New Yorker, having recently made his fortune with the invention of a new photographic paper. While Baekeland had been busily amassing dollars, some advances had been made in the development of plastics. The years 1899 and 1900 had seen the patenting of the first semi-synthetic thermosetting material that could be manufactured on an industrial scale. In purely scientific terms, Baekeland’s major contribution to the field is not so much the actual discovery of the material to which he gave his name, but rather the method by which a reaction between phenol and formaldehyde could be controlled, thus making possible its preparation on a commercial basis. On 13 July 1907, Baekeland took out his famous patent describing this preparation, the essential features of which are still in use today.

第4自然段

Baekeland对塑料的兴趣始于1885年，当时他还是比利时一名年轻的化学学生，开始研究酚醛树脂，这是当酚（苯酚）与醛（一种类似酒精的挥发性液体）结合时产生的一类黏性物质。然而，他很快就放弃了这个课题，几年后才重新回到它身上。到1905年，他已经是一位富有的纽约人，最近通过发明一种新的照相纸而发了财。在Baekeland繁忙地赚钱的同时，塑料的发展也取得了一些进展。在1899年和1900年期间，第一种可以大规模生产的半合成热固性材料获得了专利。从纯科学的角度来看，Baekeland对该领域的主要贡献不是发现了他所命名的材料，而是控制酚和甲醛之间反应的方法，从而使其能够商业化生产。1907年7月13日，Baekeland取得了他著名的专利，描述了这一方法的基本特征，至今仍在使用。

第5自然段

The original patent outlined a three-stage process, in which phenol and formaldehyde (from wood or coal) were initially combined under vacuum inside a large egg-shaped kettle. The result was a resin known as Novalak, which became soluble and malleable when heated. The resin was allowed to cool in shallow trays until it hardened, and then broken up and ground into powder. Other substances were then introduced: including fillers, such as woodflour, asbestos or cotton, which increase strength and moisture resistance, catalysts (substances to speed up the reaction between two chemicals without joining to either) and hexa, a compound of ammonia and formaldehyde which supplied the additional formaldehyde necessary to form a thermosetting resin. This resin was then left to cool and harden, and ground up a second time. The resulting granular powder was raw Bakelite, ready to be made into a vast range of manufactured objects. In the last stage, the heated Bakelite was poured into a hollow mould of the required shape and subjected to extreme heat and pressure, thereby ‘setting’ its form for life.

第5自然段

最初的专利描述了一个三阶段的过程，在这个过程中，酚和来自木材或煤炭的甲醛首先在一个大型的鸡蛋形壶内真空结合。结果是一种被称为Novalak的树脂，它在加热时变得可溶性和可塑性。树脂在浅盘中冷却至硬化，然后破碎并磨成粉末。然后引入其他物质，包括填充剂，如木粉、石棉或棉花，增强强度和防潮性能，催化剂（加速两种化学物质反应但不与任何一种结合的物质）以及六氨（氨和甲醛的化合物），提供形成热固性树脂所需的额外甲醛。然后，这种树脂被冷却和硬化，并再次研磨。得到的颗粒状粉末就是原始的巴克elite，可以制成各种制造品。在最后一个阶段，加热的巴克elite被倒入所需形状的空模具中，并经受极高的温度和压力，从而永久“固定”其形状。

第6自然段

The design of Bakelite objects, everything from earrings to television sets, was governed to a large extent by the technical requirements of the moulding process. The object could not be designed so that it was locked into the mould and therefore difficult to extract. A common general rule was that objects should taper towards the deepest part of the mould, and if necessary the product was moulded in separate pieces. Moulds had to be carefully designed so that the molten Bakelite would flow evenly and completely into the mould. Sharp corners proved impractical and were thus avoided, giving rise to the smooth, ‘streamlined’ style popular in the 1930s. The thickness of the walls of the mould was also crucial: thick walls took longer to cool and harden, a factor which had to be considered by the designer in order to make the most efficient use of machines.

第6自然段

巴克elite物品的设计，从耳环到电视机，很大程度上取决于成型过程的技术要求。物体不能设计成被锁在模具中，以免难以取出。一个普遍的一般规则是物体应该朝着模具最深处逐渐变细，必要时产品可分开成几个部分进行成型。模具必须仔细设计，以便使熔融的巴克elite能均匀完全地流入模具中。锐角被证明是不实用的，因此要避免，从而催生了20世纪30年代流行的光滑、“流线型”的风格。模具壁的厚度也至关重要：厚壁冷却和硬化时间较长，这是设计师需要考虑的因素，以充分利用机器的效率。

第7自然段

Baekeland’s invention, although treated with disdain in its early years, went on to enjoy an unparalleled popularity which lasted throughout the first half of the twentieth century. It became the wonder product of the new world of industrial expansion – ‘the material of a thousand uses’. Being both non-porous and heat-resistant, Bakelite kitchen goods were promoted as being germ-free and sterilisable. Electrical manufacturers seized on its insulating properties, and consumers everywhere relished its dazzling array of shades, delighted that they were now, at last, no longer restricted to the wood tones and drab browns of the pre-plastic era. It then fell from favour again during the 1950s, and was despised and destroyed in vast quantities. Recently, however, it has been experiencing something of a renaissance, with renewed demand for original Bakelite objects in the collectors’ marketplace, and museums, societies and dedicated individuals once again appreciating the style and originality of this innovative material.

第7自然段

尽管在早期备受蔑视，Baekeland的发明在20世纪上半叶享有空前的流行度。它成为工业扩张新世界的神奇产品 - “千变万化的材料”。由于不透水和耐热，巴克elite厨房用品被宣传为无菌和可消毒的。电器制造商利用其绝缘性能，而消费者们则喜欢它令人眼花缭乱的各种颜色，因为他们终于不再局限于塑料时代前的木质色调和单调的棕色了。然而，在20世纪50年代，它再次失宠，大量被轻视和销毁。然而最近，它又经历了一次复兴，在收藏市场上重新引起了对原始巴克elite物品的需求，博物馆、协会和热爱这种创新材料的个人再次赞赏其风格和独创性。