Natural rubber is an elastic hydrocarbon polymer that naturally occurs as a milky colloidal suspension, or latex, in the sap of some plants. It can also be synthesized. The entropy model of rubber was developed in 1934 by Werner Kuhn. The scientific name for the rubber tree Hevea brasiliensis. Close to 21 million tons of rubber were produced in 2005 of which around 42% was natural. Today Asia the main source of natural rubber, accounting for around 94% of output in 2005. The three largest producing countries (Indonesia, Malaysia Thailand and India ) together account for around 72% of all natural rubber production.
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