FastEddy
The Slowest Guy In Town
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Super Glue (Factoid)
What makes super glue so super? How is it different from
regular glue?
Super glue deserves its name -- a single drop can permanently
join your thumb to your index finger faster than you can say
"Whoops," and a 1-square-inch bond can hold more than a ton.
So how does this remarkable substance work? The answer lies
in its main ingredient, cyanoacrylate (C5H5NO2, for you
chemistry buffs).
Cyanoacrylate is an acrylic resin that cures (forms its strongest
bond) almost instantly. The only trigger it requires is the
hydroxyl ions in water, which is convenient since virtually
any object you might wish to glue will have at least trace
amounts of water on its surface.
White glues, such as Elmer's, bond by solvent evaporation. The
solvent in Elmer's all-purpose school glue is water. When the
water evaporates, the polyvinylacetate latex that has spread
into a material's crevices forms a flexible bond. Super glue,
on the other hand, undergoes a process called anionic poly-
merization. Cyanoacrylate molecules start linking up when they
come into contact with water, and they whip around in chains to
form a durable plastic mesh. The glue thickens and hardens until
the thrashing molecular strands can no longer move.
What makes super glue so super? How is it different from
regular glue?
Super glue deserves its name -- a single drop can permanently
join your thumb to your index finger faster than you can say
"Whoops," and a 1-square-inch bond can hold more than a ton.
So how does this remarkable substance work? The answer lies
in its main ingredient, cyanoacrylate (C5H5NO2, for you
chemistry buffs).
Cyanoacrylate is an acrylic resin that cures (forms its strongest
bond) almost instantly. The only trigger it requires is the
hydroxyl ions in water, which is convenient since virtually
any object you might wish to glue will have at least trace
amounts of water on its surface.
White glues, such as Elmer's, bond by solvent evaporation. The
solvent in Elmer's all-purpose school glue is water. When the
water evaporates, the polyvinylacetate latex that has spread
into a material's crevices forms a flexible bond. Super glue,
on the other hand, undergoes a process called anionic poly-
merization. Cyanoacrylate molecules start linking up when they
come into contact with water, and they whip around in chains to
form a durable plastic mesh. The glue thickens and hardens until
the thrashing molecular strands can no longer move.
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