Alkathene

Description

[ICI, England] The commercial product name for Polyethylene when first released by ICI in 1939. Alkathene has since become a commonly used name for the waxy, white, thermoplastic polymer that can be injection molded into numerous shapes. Kitchenware items made of Alkathene were popular in the 1950s (see also Tupperware®).

Synonyms and Related Terms

Alkathene® [Qenos]; polyethylene

Resources and Citations

• Dictionary of Building Preservation, Ward Bucher, ed., John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York City, 1996

• History of Plastics at http://www.mlaust.com/HistoryofPlastics.shtml