Hello dear steemian, in this opportunity I wanna share you something about your household appliances that made from hydrocarbon material.

Plastics Resin

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^{Source :quora}

A week ago I have been shared a post about plastic, where the plastics can be synthesized with gas or vegetable materials, but in this opportunity I will discuss about melamine. Actually, plastic and melamine have a polymer base material but both  plastic and melamine have different processes, the plastic can be heated and cooled repeatedly without degradation of the polymer, this process in chemistry terms called as thermoplastic and the plastic easily to be formed. For examples of plastics polymer are ;

• Polycarbonate, 
• Nylon, 
• Polyetilene
• PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) and,
• ABS (Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene).

Generally, most of plastic products are derived from polyethylene materials, the plastic manufacturing through polymer addition reactions processes.

Melamine Resin

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^{Source :xinzhoulinhua}

Melamine is a type of resin (polymer) that has strong physical and heat resistant. Therefore, it is suitable to use in restaurants because of cheap and high quality equipment. The melamine physics looks like a ceramic, so it looks like an expensive equipment. It is not only used in household appliances, If you go to a restaurant, maybe you've had seen beautiful colorful plates, maybe it's made of melamine. 

Melamine was synthesized from carbamyde polymerization with formaledhyde. Its material is a thermosetting material, it means, the material can be formed adventurous times and can not be recycled directly like plastic can. In other words, the thermosetting can't be heated and cooled repeatedly like thermoplastic, the increasing temperature of thermosetting material can produce a chemical reaction, which can harden the material into an infusible solid form. When it is heating, the thermosetting will be degraded (charred). So thermoset mechanisms make melamine be stronger and durable. Examples of thermosetting resins are 

• Epoxy Resins, 
• Amino Resins
• Melamine Resins, 
• Bakelit and,
• Urea Formaldehyde.

Chemistry Explains

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^{Source :study.com}

Melamine resin is a durable plastic thermosetting, it can be produced from a combination of melamine and formaldehyde, Melamine is also used in high concrete baffling as SMF polymer (Sulfonated melamine formaldehyde) used in cement mixture to increase fluidity. Formaldehyde can be generated through methanol reactions, so that methanol reactions can also act as sources of melamine resin production. Methanol (CH₃OH) is a chemical compound of proportion of methane and alcohol reactions. Formaldehyde formation from methanol can be seen in the following reaction.

CH3OH + O2 ⇒ CH2O + H2O

CH3OH ⇒ CH2O + H2

The first process by reacting air with methanol, then water and formaldehyde is condensed, the second reaction, the product (CH₂O) is purified by using a catalyst.

Actually, melamine and plastic source materials come from hydrocarbon compounds, in which hydrocarbon compounds have Carbon atom chains bonded to Hydrogen atoms. Preparation of plastic thermosetting and thermoplastic polymers thought polymerization addition process, by combining double-bonded of hydrocarbon (alkane) monomers to form polymers with a single bond between C atoms and become solid polymers. 

Some thermoplastic/thermoset resins derived from hydrocarbons compound can be seen in the picture below.

So that the reader better understand, I give an image description of several kind of resin (product) from hydrocarbon compound.

There are several other resins that can be synthesized with formaldehyde combinations, such as phenol resins by reacting phenol and formaldehyde, and amino resins which is used as an adhesive in liquid form.

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Conclusion

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Hydrocarbon compounds (methane, ethane, etc) are not only sources of fuel generation, but hydrocarbon compounds can also be used as feedstocks in the manufacture of resins by formaldehyde reactions, where they can be used as raw materials for manufacturing household appliances.

Source :

Formaldehyde

Melamine/Melamina

Hydrocarbon

Different Between Thermoset/Kind of Polymer