PLEXIGLAS® is one of the world`s best-known plastics brands. But the material might never have been invented had it not been for an accident.

Major developments always require a certain degree of courage. Otto Röhm had this courage and the necessary determination at the beginning of the 20th century when he dedicated himself to plastics research and ultimately invented PLEXIGLAS® in 1933.

Courage to develop

This decision proved courageous as the previous focus of the Röhm & Haas activities had nothing to do with this field of research. The Röhm & Haas chemical company, founded in 1907, sold products for the leather and textile industry. In contrast, plastics research was extremely costly and at that time it offered little hope for commercial utilization.

But plastics research was always on Otto Röhm’s mind. In his dissertation on “Polymerization products of acrylic acid” (1901), he looked at the “fixed modification”, the acrylic acid ester polymerisate, a colorless, transparent, highly elastic and insoluble mass. Otto Röhm was convinced that commercially viable applications were possible with this material. He was absolutely determined to begin the search for suitable processes for producing acrylic acid ester and its potential applications. He named this field of research “rubber work”.

Otto Röhm

Trained as an assistant pharmacist, Röhm (picture above; 1908) first studied Pharmacy and then Chemistry in Munich and Tübingen. In 1901 he earned his PhD with a dissertation on “Polymerization products of acrylic acid.” Six years later he and Otto Haas founded the Röhm & Haas company. Röhm was a true pioneer in the field of plastics, developing a large number of acrylate and methacrylate compounds. But the greatest invention by Röhm and his staff was the invention of PLEXIGLAS® in 1933.

Research takes off

After World War I, the company was finally able to invest a greater amount of funds into plastics research. Röhm & Haas established a department dedicated to this research. But research was tiresome and costly – and explosions were a regular occurrence. At the same time, major companies such as I.G. Farbenindustrie AG put just as much effort into their plastics research. When compared to this strong competitor, it seemed that Röhm’s research department was understaffed and under-equipped.

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