Polymer science be considered polymer science in the modern sense. In the 1840s, Friedrich Ludersdorf and Nathaniel Hayward independently discovered that adding sulfur to raw natural rubber (polyisoprene) helped prevent the material from becoming sticky. In 1844 Charles Goodyear received a U.S. patent for vulcanizing natural rubber with sulfur and heat. Thomas Hancock had received a patent for the same process in the UK the year before. This process strengthened natural rubber and prevented it from melting with heat without losing flexibility. This made practical products such as waterproofed articles possible. It also facilitated practical manufacture of such rubberized materials. Vulcanized rubber
The Sulphur Institute addresses environmental and safety issues surrounding the transportation, production, and storage of sulfur. The Sulphur Institute's program allows regulatory agencies and industry stakeholders to connect, exchange knowledge, and develop practices which improve the safety of the industry. The Sulphur Institute provides members, government and non-government agencies, and industry stakeholders accurate information on sulfur. TSI has served as a source of industry information for many publications including the Wall Street Journal. TSI is often quoted by publications within the industry as well. The information gathered by TSI is made available through a number of publications, webinars, and speaking engagements. The Sulphur