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Although Nylon and the Atomic bomb are vastly different, they compare on several
topic. One comparison between the two products is the fact that both were made for reasons
other than the advancement of science. After accidental discovery of nylon, Elmer Balton, the
director of research at Dupont during the 1930s, “had little interest in pure scientific research,
and he asked [William] Carothers to concentrate on developing nylon as a commercial product”
(Carlson 27). On the other hand, the discovery of nuclear fission, the process which occurs in a
nuclear bomb, was made after President Franklin Roosevelt initiated a government program to
produce an atomic warhead (Carlson 28). In addition, the DuPont chemicals company had a large
involvement in the production of these two items. Nylon was discovered when DuPont began
“fundamental research in polymer chemistry” Smith 531). After a long, strenuous, 11 year
research program, “nylon was patented in 1937” by Du Pont (Schmittroth 756). Equally, DuPont
supplied the space and materials for the Manhattan Program to develop the weapons-grade
plutonium required to build the atom bomb. Du Pont provided “a 500,000-acre site at Hanford,
Washington, where DuPont built a huge plant in which to manufacture the plutonium” (Carlson
29). Finally, Both nylon and the atom bomb share the characteristic of being man made. Nylon
does not occur in nature, so DuPont had to create a process in order to develop the strongest
nylon fibers possible. They did this by reacting acids and alcohols while simultaneously
removing the water produced in the chemical reaction (Smith 530). Similarly, the elements used
in an atomic weapon need to be so unstable that they must be manmade. This process involves
using uranium to “’breed’ (create) plutonium 239, which [is] then separated from uranium by
chemical methods” (Smith 77).
Nylon and the Atomic bomb contrast greatly. These two products are polar
opposites when it comes to their uses. Nylon is a very commercial product that is used on
a day to day basis. It is used most commonly in “clothing, laces, toothbrushes, strings on
musical instruments, sails, fish nets, carpets, and other products requiring strong
lightweight fibers” (Schmittroth 756). The Atomic Bomb, however, is used only in the
most serious times of war because of its enormous life taking potential. When the first
atom bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on August 6, 1945 “between 70,000 and 80,000
people in the city below died instantly or almost instantly. As many as 125,000 more died
later as a result of injuries incurred by the blast” (Weir 234). Another contrast between
nylon and the atom bomb occurs on a molecular level. The process of producing nylon
requires scientist to combine many small molecules, called monomers, into one large
molecule, called a polymer (Smith 530). Conversely, the process of an atomic warhead
exploding is actually the nucleus on atom ripping into two pieces. “When neutrons,
protons, deuterons, and other particles strike a nucleus of a high atomic weight, they are
absorbed and the nucleus splits into to. The process releases a million volts of energy per
atom” (Weir 234). A final contrast between the pair, is that nylon was invented
accidentally, but the invention of the atom bomb as was government funded project.
Nylon “was an incidental discovery during a project to study short polymers of
acetylene” (Smith 531). The production of the atom was a much larger production.
During 1945, the peak of production, Clinton Engineer Works, the site of uranium
processing, housed and employed over 75,000 people, and that is only a small branch of
the entire project (Carlson 28).
These two inventions exemplify the radical shift the war caused by showing how
all scientific work was concentrated towards the war efforts in the 1940s. Before the war,
Americans were trying to better themselves and their country by producing goods that
would benefit all citizens, such as nylon. However, during the war Americans focused on
helping their soldiers and army. Almost all jobs had a way to help assistance the war
effort; even nylon’s production was turned to parachutes and medical kits for the army.
Because of society’s focus towards the war, nearly ever invented product was made
especially for the war. The atom bomb was produced because hundreds of thousands of
scientist worked together to supply their nation with the most powerful weapon known to
man. Nylon and the atom bomb exemplify the radical shift the war caused in Americans’
attitudes.