Scotchgard

Scotchgard products typically rely on organofluorine chemicals as the main active ingredient along with petroleum distillate solvents.

[1] In 1938 Roy J. Plunket, a recent hire at DuPont, discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (or Teflon)—a fluoropolymer that led to the invention of synthetic rubber.

[2] His early discovery led 3M scientists to develop the formula for Scotchgard, discovered by accident in 1953 when Joan Mullan—a 3M lab technician—spilled a few drops of a fluorochemical liquid destined for rubber jet fuel hoses onto her tennis shoes.

[3] 3M chemists, Patsy Sherman and Samuel Smith, continued work on the properties of fluorochemicals, culminating in products that could treat most fabrics with a stain resistant coating.

[4] They jointly hold 13 patents regarding fluorochemical polymers and polymerization processes, though Sherman is generally recognized as the scientist who discovered Scotchgard's possibilities.

C 8 fluorinated urethane constituent [ 6 ] that has later been replaced by a C 4 alternative