The better to dissolve the foam to a liquid state. Reaction of acetone with styrofoam and explosive balls

Modern adhesive compositions, of which there are many in hardware stores, with all the variety of names and brands, differ little from each other. All of them are united by a high price and average bonding quality. Most often, universal construction adhesive is a polyurethane or polystyrene viscous mass in an organic solvent. Expanded polystyrene, aka polystyrene and solvent, can be found in almost every home. Following the same logic, you can quite simply make foam glue with your own hands based on a simple recipe.

Materials for the preparation of foam glue

The manufacture of a home-made adhesive mass will cost literally a penny, but on one condition - you need to know what materials to use, and most importantly - to understand how to make foam glue safely for your own health.

For the manufacture of glue based on foamed polystyrene, the following materials and equipment will be required:

Container for preparing glue, for large quantities it is best to use a clean metal canister. A trial portion of glue can be prepared even in a half-liter jar;
Styrofoam, you can use the remnants of packaging from new household appliances, sheet insulation, or even the remnants of thermal insulation from an old refrigerator. Ten years ago, foam was widely used for all kinds of disposable cups, plates and trays, today the best option would be XPS trimmings or foam chips;
Solvent. In addition, you will need gloves and a regular household fan. Gloves to protect your hands, and a fan will help you not burn yourself if you have to dissolve a large amount of foam.

For your information! The best solvent for polystyrene is benzene or toluene. But due to the high toxicity of aromatic hydrocarbons, foam glue will turn out to be poisonous.

Do not use both of these hydrocarbons for any adhesives or paints. The pleasant smell is often confusing, but it is worth working with benzene and foam glue for half an hour indoors, and a mild degree of poisoning will be ensured.

How to dissolve foam

Any solvent can be used. The best thinner for nitro paints, P646, acetone or pure gasoline, for example, Kalosha or ordinary automobile A-95.

Gasoline is chosen without fuel additives, it is best to buy clean material for cleaning and washing brushes in a building salon. Do not use leaded grades or biogases with a high fuel alcohol content. Not only do they pour water and kerosene into such gasolines, inhaling additives in the process of preparing glue will obviously not add health.

If you find the so-called Vietnamese gasoline - take it, you will not regret it. Today it is one of the most successful and safe solvents for the preparation of glue. It is not very suitable for cars, as it consists of half straight-run gasoline and acetone, and just right for dissolving foam.

In second place in terms of the solubility of the foam are dichloroethane and acetone. The first is poisonous, the glue based on it is able to glue almost any plastic. Acetone-styrofoam glue is a little softer, but the glue mixture is much more fluid and easy to work with.

Which foam is better

To prepare the adhesive, a significant amount of foam will be required, since 95% of the volume of the foamed polymer is gas.

Requirements for the foam used as a raw material for the preparation of the adhesive mass:

The material must be absolutely clean, free from contamination by paint, primer or building materials;
It is impossible to use for the preparation of glue materials of insulation of underground utilities, with fire-fighting additives or a specific smell.

For the manufacture of foamed polymer, freons are used. Some brands of polystyrene are saturated with heavy metal salts that reduce the flammability of polystyrene foam.

For your information! Gases, including freon and styrene, remain conserved in the bubbles of the foam mass, and in the process of preparing the glue, they are actively released to the surface. This does not affect the quality of the glue, but it is better not to inhale such mixtures.

For foam-based glue, you can use any polystyrene parts, but they will need to be ground to a powder state and dissolved in a small amount of acetone. Styrofoam and gasoline are added last.

A Practical Guide to Glue Making

The technology for preparing glue from foam and gasoline is reduced to the following procedures:

We prepare a container for glue, it must be washed and dried thoroughly in the sun;
A small amount of solvent or gasoline is poured onto the bottom of the can, approximately 1/10 of the planned proportion;
The first portion is filled with foam crushed into granules, about three times more than the solvent is poured;
The mixture of glue, foam and solvent is vigorously mixed to remove the gases that are evolved;
Next, you can add the foam in pieces, drowning it in the adhesive mass. If necessary, add a mixture of gasoline and acetone in small portions.

The result should be a viscous and stretchy mass, similar in consistency to shoe glue or very thick jelly. As soon as the glue has stopped emitting gas bubbles, you can start gluing the surfaces.

Second Styrofoam Glue Recipe

This method practically does not differ from the previous one, with the only difference being that nitrolac diluted with a small amount of acetone is used as the base.

As in the previous case, the foam is loaded into the varnish-acetone mixture in small portions and thoroughly mixed to get rid of the bubbles and achieve complete dissolution of the polystyrene foam.

If the first recipe was used as a regular glue, which can be used to glue wood and paper, then the second mixture is used mainly as a waterproofing. With glue diluted to the state of liquid sour cream, it is very convenient to process the floor, steps, handrails of the country porch, you can glue the holes in the roofing material with glue and even stick the roofing on the boards of the crate.

Sometimes, instead of pure varnish, nitro paint is used to dissolve the foam. The result is a rather viscous adhesive that does not bond conventional materials very well. Due to lumpiness and a large amount of ballast filler, the strength of the adhesive mass is obtained at the level of putty, it also dries out and cracks after the final setting of the material. A mixture of nitro paint and foam glue can be successfully used as a protective coating for painting metal and wood fences.

Two ways to use homemade glue

Styrofoam-based adhesive material cannot be called superglue. With all the ease of preparation and fairly cheap and affordable components, foam glue has several significant drawbacks:

Limited shelf life of freshly prepared glue;
Reduced adhesive strength. Styrofoam glue turns out to be weaker than polyurethane or even rubber branded materials, so the amount of adhesive mass when gluing materials is increased by 2-3 times;
The glue takes a long time to dry. Due to the thick adhesive seam, the place of gluing the parts dries for at least a day.

The most inconvenient in the work is that the foam adhesive must be prepared only before direct use. It is known from practice that if the foam is dissolved in gasoline and the finished mass is left for 10-20 minutes, then the quality of adhesive adhesion to the surface drops sharply.

The finished mixture very quickly absorbs water vapor, and even with the naked eye you can see how a film forms. Therefore, when gluing metal and plastic with a smooth surface, the place for applying the glue is wiped with acetone and the parts are joined as quickly as possible.

Porous materials, wood, paper, brick, slate can be joined without any haste, the glue penetrates deep into the pores, and the quality of the seam is obtained at an acceptable level.

The second gluing method involves the use of fine foam powder. Ground foam is poured into the place of gluing and covered with a synthetic cloth. Using a brush or swab, a solvent is applied to the fabric - gasoline or acetone and carefully rolled with a rubber roller.

Under the action of the solvent, the powder foam dissolves in a few seconds, and the roller provides maximum pressure on the surfaces to be glued. The fabric used as a substrate remains in place at the gluing site.

Conclusion

Styrofoam and acetone glue is suitable for gluing wooden slats, it can be used as a substitute for expensive casein or carpentry. You can glue cardboard, packaging, glue fiberboard joints, repair defects in plywood and even creaking floorboards.

Gasoline-based adhesive mass is used for outdoor repair work. A thin layer of polystyrene will provide good waterproofing of the basement line of the walls, you can glue rolled roofing materials, a hole in the pediment, or fill holes in the country sewerage system.

With the help of foam adhesive, you can effortlessly repair the roof of tiles and asbestos-cement slate. The place where the crack has formed is sealed from the inner and outer surfaces, and a fabric patch is glued over the repair line. The service life of such a patch is at least one and a half years.

It is possible to carry out surface sealing, for example, repairing a roof, without building materials from the store. You can make glue from foam with your own hands. In terms of efficiency, it is not inferior to sealants. For cooking, you will also need an organic solvent, which is in any home.

Where can be applied

In everyday life, the use of foam glue is relevant for connecting parts and surfaces. For example, for fixing a cornice on the ceiling, gluing skirting boards, repairing a kitchen set, joining furniture, mounting the extruded polystyrene foam itself.

The finished solution can replace the casein or carpentry type of glue.

The finished seam can withstand the load for 1.5 years.

What is needed for cooking

The main components are foam and solvent. This method is cheaper than store formulations, it turns out to be more reliable in terms of results.

In addition to the listed components, you need to prepare:

a clean metal container (preferably a canister);
hand protection gloves;

home fan;
spatula or stick for thorough mixing of the composition.

For the first time, it is better to make a solution in a small amount, for example, in an ordinary glass half-liter jar. The included home fan will not allow you to burn if a lot of mixture is being prepared. Protective gloves will protect the skin of the hands. Of the types of solvent, it is better to choose toluene or benzene. You cannot use them at the same time. Increased toxicity of substances can make the adhesive itself poisonous.

Which foam to choose

Styrofoam is best taken from packaging materials for household appliances, the remains of a heat-insulating layer in an old refrigerator, or part of sheet insulation. A crumb would work too. There should be a lot of the substance itself, since 95% of its composition is gas. Among the main requirements it is necessary to highlight:

purity of the material (without dirt, dust, other residues);
rejection of materials for thermal insulation of underground utilities, which contain fire-fighting additives and a specific smell.

Before use, everything must be crushed to a powdery mass. This also applies to polystyrene. First you need to mix the crushed polystyrene with a small amount of acetone, and only then you can add polystyrene foam and gasoline.

During cooking, gases (styrene, freon) are released, which do not affect the effectiveness of the composition in any way, but can provoke poisoning if they are breathed.

The foam itself is better to choose non-pressed (in the form of connected balls that easily break apart, crumble). It dissolves most easily in acetone and gasoline, forming a sticky compound.

How to dissolve foam to get glue

Almost any type of solvent is suitable for work, but it is better to choose from pure gasoline (A-95) or acetone. A thinner for nitro paints or P646 is suitable.

It is better to refuse dissolution with leaded grades and gasoline with bioadditives, where the concentration of fuel alcohols, such as kerosene, is too high.

Can be dissolved Vietnamese gasoline. It is effective and safe. Contains acetone.

Can be used by myself acetone or dichloroethane. The second option is dangerous for its toxicity, but firmly glues any plastic surfaces.

If you prepare a composition of acetone and foam, then the consistency itself will be softer, more fluid. This helps in a more even application.

How to make styrofoam glue at home

It is necessary to wash, dry thoroughly the container in which the glue will be prepared (it is better to dry in the sun). Surfaces can be glued only after gas bubbles cease to be released from the solution.

Recipe number 1 - foam and gasoline

First, pour a tenth of the prepared solvent or gasoline onto the bottom of the container, and then pour out some of the crushed pieces and mix. The dry composition should be three times more. For example, for 30 g of foam chips, 10 g of diluent.

Everything is mixed until completely dissolved. Further, the foam can be added in small pieces, thoroughly mixing with the already finished mass. The subsequent addition of acetone or gasoline is best done in small portions.

You should get a composition with a viscous, stretchy consistency, reminiscent of thick jelly or shoe glue.

Recipe number 2 - foam and nitrolac

To prepare such a solution, you first need to dilute the nitrolac with acetone, and then gradually mix and add the crushed foam. The method is more suitable for waterproofing surfaces, for example, processing holes in roofing material. The cooking process is similar to the previous version. If the composition is prepared in the consistency of liquid sour cream, it can be used for floors, steps, handrails, closing cracks.

If you replace nitrolac with nitro-paint, the result will be more like putty, it may crack after drying. Metal, wooden fences are covered with such a protective agent.

There is also the option of applying crushed foam powder to the surfaces that need to be glued. From above, everything must be covered with a synthetic cloth and a solvent should be applied with a brush. The finished layer is carefully rolled with a rubber roller. Under the influence of a solvent, the foam crumb should dissolve in a few seconds. The fabric itself should remain in place of gluing. After connecting the parts, they must be tightly compressed together.

Disadvantages of foam glue

Homemade styrofoam and solvent adhesive has a very limited shelf life.
Differs in the reduced durability of a ready seam.
To obtain sufficient reliability of the connection, glue is needed 2-3 times more.
The glue itself dries longer (at least a day), it must be used immediately after preparation. After 10-20 minutes, the quality of gluing parts will be lower. This is especially true for the preparation of glue on gasoline. Metal and plastic smooth surfaces must be joined immediately.
If porous materials are processed, for example, wood or brick, then the first layer of the composition must be allowed to soak.

If the mixture is prepared with the addition of gasoline, then it is better to use it for outdoor work, for example, to waterproof the basement line of the walls. All work is best done away from sources of fire and sparks. It is necessary to abandon the preparation of the mixture near the included heaters.

Not everyone is lucky in the lessons of physics or chemistry, especially if the teacher is a cracker and loves only theory. But nothing prevents you from doing some safe experiments at home under the supervision of adults and other curious people. In this story, we will show you 3 scientific experiments. On the video you can see how to get polystyrene at home and others.

Experiment with water coloring.

For the first experiment, you need potato starch, 9% vinegar, 3% hydrogen peroxide, iodine, and vitamin C or, in other words, ascorbic acid. Pour into a glass of warm water and dissolve a tablespoon of starch in water. Pour about the same amount of water into the second glass, crush three vitamin C tablets and mix the ascobrink with water. And in the third glass we also pour water, add a little iodine and two tablespoons of vinegar. Now pour a glass of vitamin C into a glass of iodine. There is a reaction. Iodine loses color and the water becomes almost transparent. Pour the dissolved starch into the same glass and add 5 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide. We wait a few seconds. An interesting reaction occurs - when white colors are mixed, a black-blue color appears from somewhere. This experiment can be done as a trick. Many people know why the liquid changes color, if you also know, then write in the comments.

Dissolving foam in acetone and obtaining polystyrene.

For the next experiment, let's take some kind of container. If your hands are in the wrong place, be sure to wear gloves. Next, pour acetone into the container. We put the foam in acetone and the foam disappears somewhere. The foam disappears, and the liquid begins to thicken. In this case, the gas that was in the foam is actively released. It used to be a homemade glue recipe. However, it was not very sticky. Many will say that this experiment is not surprising. In fact, the foam is 98% gas enclosed in microscopic thin-walled polystyrene cells and acetone displaces this gas, but does not dissolve anything. At the end of the reaction, we have a thick mass similar to glue and consisting of polystyrene.

What happens if you mix oil, water and iodine?

To do the next experiment, pour water into a glass and then oil. No matter how you stir, the oil will always separate from the water and float, since the density of the oil is less than the density of water.

Then we pour salt into a glass, an interesting reaction begins. Add some iodine to the glass. Let's put it on a flashlight and add some effervescent tablet to the glass, which you can buy at the pharmacy. Again, we get a funny and beautiful reaction.

It is important that these binders can be cured at room temperature, as well as when dried at a temperature not exceeding 180-200 ºC. This was shown by the following developments of the Physico-Technological Institute of Metals and Alloys of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv), as a result of which the indicated binders were created - solutions of polystyrene (originally - expanded polystyrene) in an organic solvent. The research consisted in a reasonable choice of solvent, optimization of compositions, performance properties of binders and sand mixtures.

It is known that polystyrene foam is easily soluble in many solvents, in particular, in benzene, toluene, xylene, solvent, however, they have a very low limit of permissible concentrations (MPC, mg / m 3) in the atmosphere of working premises (workshops, sites), and this sharply worsens working conditions during their use. Thus, the MPC of benzene is only 5 mg/m 3 , toluene, xylene, solvent - 50 mg/m3 each. The high volatility of these solvents also complicates their use in production. There is another group of solvents with a higher MPC, which reaches 100-200 mg/m 3 . These are acetone, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methyl ethyl ketone, tetralin, etc. However, they, with the exception of expensive and scarce tetralin, have a very high volatility. Thus, the volatility of acetone in terms of sulfuric ether is only 2.1, the volatility of ethyl acetate is 2.9. The use of these solvents for the preparation of expanded polystyrene solutions for the purpose of their use in the open atmosphere of working premises from the point of view of the deterioration of working conditions is very problematic and is not used in practice. It is obvious that in order to obtain solutions from expanded polystyrene waste, including as binders for sand molding and core sands for foundry production, solvents with a higher MPC and low volatility are required - a prerequisite for creating low-toxic mixtures.

The task was solved by us by establishing the fact that gum turpentine can be a solvent for expanded polystyrene waste, for which the Institute received a Patent of Ukraine. Gum turpentine is a hydrocarbon of plant origin (GOST 1571-82). It is obtained from resin (coniferous resin), which is distilled with steam and divided into a volatile fraction - turpentine and a non-volatile precipitate - rosin. Turpentine contains bicyclic monoterpenoid pinene. Gum turpentine is a transparent colorless or slightly colored liquid with a density of 0.855-0.863 g/cm 3 . Before the advent of white spirit, turpentine was the main solvent for varnishes and paints, it is also used in pharmacology, as it has bactericidal properties. The annual production of gum turpentine in the world is about 300,000 tons.

Gum turpentine has MPC equal to 300 mg/m 3 , that is, much higher than the above-mentioned group of solvents with MPC not more than 200 mg/m 3 . It dissolves polystyrene foam waste well and has low volatility: under comparable conditions, if we take the evaporation rate of gum turpentine as a unit, then acetone evaporates 15.1 times faster, Kalosha gasoline - 9.87 times, ethyl acetate - 7.66 times. times, white spirit - 2.28 times.

Investigating the dissolving ability of gum turpentine in relation to expanded polystyrene waste, scientists have developed a technology for obtaining solutions from expanded polystyrene waste in gum turpentine of almost any concentration, up to 50%. Solutions with a concentration of 25%, 30%, 40% and 50% were obtained in the laboratory.

The preparation of expanded polystyrene solutions in organic solvents is due to a multiple decrease in its initial volume and an increase in the volume of the solution compared to the volume of the solvent. The preparation of expanded polystyrene solutions is a convenient way to compact it - these wastes occupy a significant (more precisely, huge) volume in the environment due to their low density (about 25 kg / m 3). According to our technology, to increase the volume of the solution by one unit, it is necessary to dissolve many tens of units of expanded polystyrene volumes.

The developed technology for recycling expanded polystyrene from its waste makes it possible to convert it into a solution, and then, for example, to produce modern low-toxic binders for the production of sand molding and core sands, as well as mold coatings, which makes it possible to improve and develop new, more efficient and economical processes metal casting. In addition, the use of expanded polystyrene waste is of great environmental importance, since we are talking about the reduction of these wastes in the human ecosphere.

The most technologically advanced compositions of sand foundry mixtures in a 40% solution contain 2% polystyrene in the dry residue. These mixtures are perfectly shaped and hardened by short drying at temperatures up to 200 ºC. The Institute has received a Patent of Ukraine for an invention on the composition of these mixtures; at the same time, the composition of the mixture cured at room temperature is being patented. In the development of the technology for recycling polystyrene waste by obtaining its solutions in gum turpentine and subsequent use as a binder in the foundry, a technological scheme of a pilot process with a list of simple equipment is proposed, including a reactor in the form of a hermetically sealed vessel equipped with a stirrer for accelerated dissolution of polystyrene foam and obtaining solution of uniform concentration.

As experimental work has shown, in solutions of expanded polystyrene in gum turpentine, regardless of the concentration of the solution, sedimentation of small contaminants brought with the waste of expanded polystyrene is observed. After preparing a solution of a given concentration, a settling operation was performed to precipitate these contaminants and their subsequent removal. In industrial recycling, this can serve as a convenient way to clean up the polystyrene solution.

The physical and mechanical properties of molding core compounds based on polystyrene binders are superior or equal to those of cold-hardening compounds based on liquid glass, phenol-formaldehyde, urea-furan resins. This circumstance made it possible to recommend polystyrene binders with gum turpentine to replace the above-mentioned binders and, in particular, expensive resins (with a cost an order of magnitude higher than a polystyrene solution) in the production process of casting blanks from ferrous and non-ferrous alloys.

In addition to creating new binder sand mixtures, the Physical-Technological Institute of Metals and Alloys is looking for partners to participate in programs to develop a technology for obtaining solid plastics and products from dissolved polystyrene, as well as its use as a raw material for the production of inexpensive high-strength adhesives and varnishes (obtained coatings of high hardness), construction and heat-insulating foams. The bactericidal properties of gum turpentine made from coniferous wood, together with the adhesive properties of the described solution, can be used for the production of adhesive tape, sealant, as well as in enterprises for the production of food and medicine.

Foaming at the institute, an increase of about 50 times.

Plates "Penoplex 35" with an average density of 35 kg / m 3, an increase of 100 times.

(The material for plates - penoplex - is obtained by mixing polystyrene granules at elevated temperature and pressure with the introduction of a foaming agent and subsequent extrusion from an extruder. A mixture of light freons with the addition of carbon dioxide (CO 2) is used as a foaming agent.)

Rods made from a mixture with a polystyrene binder

You can get acquainted with the analysis of the Russian market of expandable polystyrene in the report of the Academy of Industrial Market Studies « Expandable polystyrene market in Russia ».

In the household, glue is often required for repair work. Buying the right product in hardware stores is not always happy with the price-quality ratio. It is easier and more reliable to make homemade foam glue. A simple recipe will reveal little secrets: how and with what to dissolve the foam to create a viscous adhesive mass.

We do it ourselves: quickly and inexpensively

Applying homemade glue

Before you start preparing a homemade product, you need to figure out which items can be glued together, and for which materials it is not suitable.

The connection of only rigid objects will be successful, as the adhesive mass hardens, increasing the strength of the product. It will not work to seal a crack in a rubber boot, flexible at a break, with a home-made tool.

A feature of the use of glue is the limited time of its use - 10-15 minutes after preparation, later the quality of the adhesive mass decreases.

Therefore, the tool is required in cases of small and urgent work:

sealing joints from fiberboard;
repair of a floor, a roof from a tile or slate;
gluing furniture, skirting boards, interior items;
basement waterproofing;
fixing cornices;
insulation of loggias, balconies, ceilings and floors, foundations, walls with extruded polystyrene foam.

Owners of garages, garden houses, private houses will more than once be helped out in the household by a simple and quick-to-prepare home-made glue instead of expensive casein, carpentry.

Necessary materials

Making homemade adhesive requires only two basic ingredients: Styrofoam and an organic solvent.

Two main ingredients: Styrofoam and solvent

Styrofoam

Zealous owners know where you can always find various pieces of foam:

in packing boxes from under modern devices - they are used as a shockproof agent during transportation;
remnants of sheet material (trimmings or chips) used as a heater in the process of interior decoration;
old foam trays, plates, cups were widely used in the past.

Styrofoam packaging and containers

pour the solvent in the required volume of adhesive mass;
put crushed pieces of foam or granules in a volume three times larger than the solvent;
stir gently to remove evolved gases;
add pieces of styrofoam or thinner if necessary.

The adhesive mass is ready for use when it becomes homogeneous, resembles thick jelly in consistency, and stops emitting gases.

Pieces dissolve completely

Bonding of parts must begin immediately. The mass is applied with a brush. After drying, the adhesive joints resemble glass.

The second method differs in that the ingredients are combined directly at the place where the gap is sealed. The procedure is as follows:

pour crushed polystyrene into a crack, a recess that needs to be sealed;
moisten with a solvent - gasoline or acetone;
evenly distribute the melted mass over the surface of the area to be repaired.

Sealing gaps in the second way is characterized by a high degree of sealing, often used in work with roofing material, gluing roofing material.

It is important to pre-cook enough foam to form a viscous adhesive mass. If the composition turns out to be liquid, gluing will be ineffective.

Drying of the glue lasts 1.5-2 days depending on the thickness of the layer.

Safety regulations

The use of foam adhesive requires compliance with fire safety rules, because the mixture ignites quickly and burns for a long time. Even a lit match can cause a fire. When heated, the mass releases a significant amount of heat and forms thick black smoke.

Roof repair with styrofoam glue

The method of preparing glue from materials that can be found in any home is practical and simple. Following simple rules will help you safely, quickly and inexpensively carry out ongoing repairs.

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