Question

How does vulcanization change the character of natural rubber?

Answer 1

Before VULCANISATION , rubber molecules are in loose or free state, just like a small piece of newspaper, you can easily tear off or break the rubber.

Vulcanisation or CROS LINKING is the addition of a curing agent (generally sulphur) to rubber to the right amount.

What a curing agent does to the rubber is , it binds the molecules. Now a vulcanised rubber is like a bundle of newspapers tightly packed together.

It is very very tough to tear the bundle of newspapers compared to a single piece of newspaper.

Vulcanisation does the same to rubber.