The term “plastics” is used to describe organic materials that are built up on a macromolecular basis and are created either through the transformation of natural products (semi-synthetic plastics) or through a process of synthesis from primary raw materials such as mineral oil, natural gas or coal (see table). Plastics consist of the basic elements of organic chemistry: carbon and hydrogen, and possibly oxygen, nitrogen and sulphur as well.Plastics can have an even greater degree of transparency than clear glass. The physical properties of these materials are determined in part by the intermolecular forces – mainly van der Vaals forces in this case. Frank Kaltenbach