Structure of Urethane
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Urethane

Urethane 1. A polymer containing a urethane linkage. 2. Any organic chemical compound contaning a urethane functional group (or linkage). 3. The specific compound (NH2*COOC2H5). This ethyl ester is a white crystalline substance produced by the action of ammonia on ethyl carbonate or by heating urea nitrate and ethyl alcohol. It is used as a hypnotic, antipyretic, and antispasmodic. more...

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Generally, a urethane is an ester of a carbamic acid (RNHCOOQ, where R and Q represent many different organic compounds). Many can be created by an isocyanate reaction with a hydroxyl group of an alcohol (or other hydroxy containing compound) according to the following formula:

Although this reaction had been known for some decades, it was not until 1937 that Otto Bayer discovered how to make the very useful polyurethane plastics out of polyisocyanate and polyol (a molecule with multiple hydroxyl groups), (see Polyurethane). There are many other more specialized ways to make urethanes.

Urethane technology was brought to America in 1953 by Jean-Pierre Abbat and Dr. Fritz Hartmann.

Urethanes are used in pharmaceuticals, (bio)chemical analysis and plastics.

Urethane is also widely used in skateboard and in-line skate wheel production, effectively replacing the clay wheel used before that.

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From balata to urethane : Cover evolution - overview of evolution of materials used as golf ball covers - Brief Article
From Golf Digest, 1/1/01

The modern era of golf ball covers was dominated by balata, a natural rubber that provided high spin rates and soft feel but lacked durability. It worked best with wound balls (the primary construction prior to 1970), because it adhered to windings well.

Surlyn and Iotek (copolymers developed by DuPont and Exxon) became available in the 1960s and were breakthroughs in cover technology. Spalding used Surlyn as the cover for the first two-piece balls. Surlyn is inexpensive, compared to balata, and cut-proof but feels hard.

The next breakthrough came when a softening agent was added to the copolymers. "People think Surlyn is a hard material," says Spalding's Tom Kennedy, "but by using these softening agents we can make an ionomer golf ball that has good scuff resistance and still has good spin. That was a big deal."

Urethane covers are another advancement. They are both durable and soft, yet somewhat costly, so are used mostly on high-end balls.

What's next? "The best thing would be a material that can mutate in flight," says Kennedy. "It would be one material when hit off the tee; as it moved through the air it would mutate to give low spin off the tee and high spin around the green."

COPYRIGHT 2001 New York Times Company Magazine Group, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group

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