Why does vinyl bend? Polyvinyl chloride, the resin used for vinyl floor t i l e , has extremely long, chainlike molecules whose points of high intermolecular attraction cause the chains to stick tightly together normally resulting in rigidity and brittleness. But the molecular chains in polyvinyl chloride can be "lubricated" by addinga plasticizertothe resin—smaller molecules which, like those in the resin, also have points of high intermolecular attraction. They oc-
cupy some of the areas of mutual attraction and thus break up the tight, chain-stuck-to-chain composition. The vinyl is then flexible and plastic, suitable for floor tile. An excellent plasticizer used in vinyl resin is "Benzoflex 9-88," produced by the Tennessee Products & Chemical Corporation in Nashville. It has strong solvent action that permits lower processing temperatures, has good tensile strength and is compatible with other primary and secondary plasticizers. It is stable at processing temper-
atures and to subsequent exposure to light. It also adds to the stain resistance of vinyl floor tile. To produce "Benzoflex 9-88"—dipropylene glycol dibenzoate—Tennessee Products & Chemical Corporation uses USS Toluene in the oxidation and esterification reactions. USS Toluene has the high purity and uniformity that meets TP&C's strict specifications. You can obtain the same high standards if you specify chemicals from United States Steel.
Chemical Sales Offices: Pittsburgh; New York; Chicago; Salt Lake City; Fairfield, Alabama. Benzene • Toluene • Xylene • Phenol • Cresol • Cresylic A c i d • Naphthalene • Creosote • Pitch • Picoline • Pyridine Ammonium Sulfate • A m m o n i u m Nitrate • Anhydrous Ammonia • Nitric Acid • Nitrogen Solutions
UgS) Chemicals TRADEMARK
