On your 2nd question you may use "anwenden", "verwenden" or "benutzen". Nonetheless you could also use Yet another sentence in German alongside the lines of "Um eine Sprache zu lernen muss male sie sprechen" which might sound fewer scientific. The synthetic paint was to start with used in the forties, https://f-r41975.wikicorrespondent.com/5606180/not_known_facts_about_haubens