Any of a class of synthetic plastics, resins, and oils used to manufacture many products.
By varying the starting reagents (such as acrylic acid, C 3 H 4 O 2 , or acrylonitrile, C 3 H 3 N) and the process of forming, a material may be produced that is hard and transparent, soft and resilient, or a viscous liquid. Acrylic compounds are used to make molded structural and optical parts, jewelry, adhesives, coating compounds, and textile fibres. Lucite and Plexiglas are trademarks used for glasslike acrylic materials.