Welcome to brain Stuff from how stuff works dot com where smart Happens. Hi, I'm Marshall Brain with today's question, what is chewing gum made of? Up until World War Two, chewing gum was made of a substance called chickle mixed with flavorings. Chickle is a latex sap that comes from a tree native to Central America. In other words, chickle is a form of rubber. Just like rubber bands don't
dissolve when you chew them, neither just chickle. Chickle is a good bit softer than rubber bands that it happens to soften more when it gets warm in your mouth. If you freeze chicken with ice, it gets very stiff. In other words, chickle hardens and softens over a pretty narrow temperature range, close to human body heat, and that makes it good for chewing gum. If you get chickle hot, you can mix it about fifty fifty with sugar and a flavoring like peppermint extract, and you have chewing gum.
After World War Two, chemists learned how to make artificial gum bases to replace the chickle. These gum bases are essentially synthetic rubbers. That have the same temperature profile as chickle gum. Basses, either natural or artificial, are mixed with sugar and other flavorings to make chewing gum. When you chew it, the rubber releases these flavorings into your mouth. Be sure to check out our new video podcast, Stuff from the Future. Join How Stuff Work staff as we
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