塑胶(plastics)
常用加热和加压进行塑造或成型的聚合物。大多是重量轻、透明、不能很好传导电的坚韧有机化合物。主要分成两类：热塑性树脂（如polyethylene和聚苯乙烯）能反复熔融和固化；热固性树脂（如聚氨酯、环氧化物），一旦成型，加热只能被破坏，而不能熔化。很少塑胶只含树脂，许多也含有可塑剂（以改变熔点，使其变软）、着色剂、加固剂、填塞物（提高机械属性如硬度）、稳定物和抗氧化剂（以保护免遭老化、光照或生物制剂作用）。塑胶不能生物降解，但塑胶的资源的回收与再利用，尤其是热塑性树脂，已成为一个重要的行业。塑胶的主要工业用途包括汽车、建筑、包装、纺织、涂料、粘合剂、管道、电和电子元件、修复术、玩具、毛刷和家具等。普通的塑胶包括聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯或PET（如使用在饮料瓶上）、聚氯乙烯（软管）、起泡沫的聚苯乙烯、或聚苯乙烯泡沫塑胶（隔热的食物容器）和卢西特（防碎玻璃）。亦请参阅Leo Baekeland。
English version：
plastics
Polymers that can be molded or shaped, usually by heat and pressure. Most are lightweight, transparent, tough organic compounds that do not conduct electricity well. They fall into two classes: Thermoplastics (e.g., polyethylene, polystyrene) can be melted and formed again and again; thermosetting plastics, or thermosets (e.g., polyurethane, epoxy), once formed, are destroyed rather than melted by heating. Few plastics contain only resin; many also contain plasticizers (to change the melting point and make them softer), colorants, reinforcements, and fillers (to improve mechanical properties such as stiffness), and stabilizers and antioxidants (to protect against aging, light, or biological agents). Plastics are not biodegradable (see biodegradability), but recycling of plastics, especially thermoplastics, has become an important industry. Major industrial uses of plastics include cars, buildings, packaging, textiles, paints, adhesives, pipes, electrical and electronic components, prostheses, toys, brushes, and furniture. Common plastics include polyethylene terephthalate, or PET (used, e.g., in beverage bottles), PVC (hoses), foamed polystyrene, or Styrofoam (insulated food containers), and Lucite (shatterproof windows). See also Leo Baekeland.