Latex

Latex is a stable dispersion (emulsion) of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. It is found in nature, but synthetic latexes can be made by polymerizing a monomer such as styrene that has been emulsified with surfactants.

Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants (angiosperms). It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins, and gums that coagulate on exposure to air. It is usually exuded after tissue injury. In most plants, latex is white, but some have yellow, orange, or scarlet latex. Since the 17th century, latex has been used as a term for the fluid substance in plants. It serves mainly as defense against herbivorous insects. Latex is not to be confused with plant sap; it is a separate substance, separately produced, and with separate functions.

The word is also used to refer to natural latex rubber, particularly non-vulcanized rubber. Such is the case in products like latex gloves, latex condoms and latex clothing. Many people are allergic to rubber latex.

Latex (disambiguation)

Latex is an aqueous dispersion of polymers that can be solidified into rubber.

Latex may also refer to:

Common meanings

Other uses

LaTeX

LaTeX (/ˈlɑːtɛx/ LAH-tekh, commonly pronounced as /ˈlɑːtɛk/ LAH-tek or /ˈleɪtɛk/ LAY-tek, styled as LaTeX, and a shortening of Lamport TeX) is a word processor and a document markup language. It is distinguished from typical word processors such as Microsoft Word, LibreOffice Writer and Apple Pages in that the writer uses plain text as opposed to formatted text, relying on markup tagging conventions to define the general structure of a document (such as article, book, and letter), to stylise text throughout a document (such as bold and italic), and to add citations and cross-referencing. A TeX distribution such as TeX Live or MikTeX is used to produce an output file (such as PDF or DVI) suitable for printing or digital distribution.

LaTeX is used for the communication and publication of scientific documents in many fields, including mathematics, physics, computer science, statistics, economics, and political science. It also has a prominent role in the preparation and publication of books and articles that contain complex multilingual materials, such as Sanskrit and Arabic. LaTeX uses the TeX typesetting program for formatting its output, and is itself written in the TeX macro language.