What's inside a Basketball

What's inside a basketball?

This is the core of the basketball, formally known as the bladder. This ingredient is vital to the basketball as it retains air and gives the ball its bounce. mostly rubber is made of the two gases butadiene and styrene. They are both bi products of refining petroleum. Then they put both in a reactor with soap suds making latex, which in turn, makes rubber. Butyl rubber's chemical name is: isobutylene-isoprene rubber (IIR)

This is placed on the basketball's inner bladder also known as the carcass. Nylon threads are placed around the ball to help give the basketball it’s shape. While the bladder is spherical, it is somewhat dis-shaped, so the nylon’s sole purpose is to retain the perfect spherical shape. Nylon is made from from carbon, nitrogen, and hydrogen. Nylons chemical name is : NYLON 6/6

Nylon

Butyl Rubber

This is also placed on the basketballs inner bladder (carcass). Polyester threads are placed around the ball along with the Nylon threads to serve the same purpose; giving the ball the perfect spherical shape. Placing both polyester threads as well as nylon threads on the inner bladder results in a better performing ball. Polyester is made of Ethylene Glycol and Adipic Acid. Polyester's chemical name is : 2,3-Bis(benzoyloxy)-3-carboxy propanoate

Polyester

This is arguably one of the most important steps of making a basketball, attaching the rubber (or metal) air valve to the balls bladder. The air valves are cylinder in shape and protrude through the surface of the ball's cover and contain a small opening in which the needle of an air pump can be inserted to inflate the bladder .Synthetic rubbers are made in chemical plants using petrochemicals as their starting point. One of the first (and still one of the best known) is neoprene (the brand name for polychloroprene), made by reacting together acetylene and hydrochloric acid. Rubbers chemical name is: Polychloroprene

MORE Rubber

The highest quality balls are covered in leather. The leather is unrolled and then cut into 6 different panels that be stitched around the ball. The leather serves as the balls exterior covering. Leather is a durable and flexible material created by the tanning of animal rawhide and skin, often cattle hide. It can be produced through manufacturing processes ranging from cottage industry to heavy industry.

Tradtional Leather

Depending on the manufacturer, this is the finishing touch on the ball. The foil is used to put decals around the ball. Decals, information and foil markings are applied by hand after the panels have been sealed onto the ball. In a word , the composition of aluminum foil is pure aluminum (Al) and aluminum oxide (AL2O3). Foils chemical name is: Alumina

Foil

SCORE!!

SLAM DUNK!

Organic!!

Molecular Formula:Al(2)O(3)

Molecular Formula:N(6)

Molecular Formula: C(19)H(20)N(6)O(2)

Molecular Formula:C(4)H(5)Cl

Molecular Formula:C(18)H(13)O(8)

Bladders are also used in balloons

Polyester is a wrinkle reistant

Finished basketballs weigh 20 to 21 ounces.