| The Breakroom > The Water Cooler |
| Accidental Discoveries |
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| dsquire:
--- Quote from: awemawson on May 22, 2013, 06:00:50 PM ---Probably quite shocking! --- End quote --- Just be sure that you don't retry that discovery on your current project. :lol: :lol: :lol: Cheers :beer: Don |
| cidrontmg:
Teflon (PTFE). It is commonly believed that Teflon is a spin-off product from the NASA space projects. Though it has been used by NASA, the assumption is incorrect. PTFE was accidentally discovered in 1938 by Roy Plunkett, in New Jersey while he was working for Kinetic Chemicals. As Plunkett was attempting to make a new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant, the tetrafluoroethylene gas in its pressure bottle stopped flowing before the bottle's weight had dropped to the point signaling "empty." Since Plunkett was measuring the amount of gas used by weighing the bottle, he became curious as to the source of the weight, and finally resorted to sawing the bottle apart. Inside, he found it coated with a waxy white material which was oddly slippery. Analysis of the material showed that it was polymerized perfluoroethylene, with the iron from the inside of the container having acted as a catalyst at high pressure. Kinetic Chemicals patented the new fluorinated plastic (analogous to known polyethylene) in 1941, and registered the Teflon trademark in 1945. |
| mosey:
I'm sure none of you are familiar with this accidental product...Viagra. Would someone care to describe? |
| vtsteam:
Yes, Viagra is a nonsense word used to test email spam filters. If the term Viagra is sent to a recipient without bouncing it means the server has not been hardened, and is a fertile recipient for spam. |
| AdeV:
Blu-tack was one of those... For the dryest telling of the story I've ever seen: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blu-Tack |
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