latex

thumb|rubber tapping|Tapping of latex from [[Hevea brasiliensis, for use in rubber production]]

AI overview

Latex is a milky fluid that comes from rubber trees and is collected through a process called tapping. It's important because it's used to produce rubber, which is a key material for many everyday products.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

~11 min read

Encyclopedic overview

14 sections

Contents

Biology
Articulated laticifers
Non-articulated laticifers
Productive species
Defense function
Applications
Personal and healthcare products
Opium and opiates
Clothing
Coatings and glues
Health and safety
Microbial degradation
References
External links

thumb|rubber tapping|Tapping of latex from [[Hevea brasiliensis, for use in rubber production]]

Latex ( latices) is an emulsion (stable dispersion) of polymer microparticles in water. Latices are found in nature, but synthetic latices are common as well.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “latex” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.