Extruded polystyrene is rigid insulation that has formed with polystyrene polymer. For the preparation process of extrusion confined 90 to 95% air in it. This will make it lighter and the best insulator used in buildings. This reduces the use of energy and helps to control indoor temperature. This product is commonly famous for Styrofoam.
Some people are brave and have scientific thinking. They use new techniques and processes to make something different. Their curious mind can ask:
What happens when you mix styrofoam with gasoline? When small pieces of styrofoam are stirred in gasoline they melt. Their air is escaped and forms a jelly-like substance that is highly inflammable. This material can also be used as glue and roof sealant.
Always perform this experiment in an open and well-ventilated area because wet and gummy melted styrofoam is highly inflammable and once it catches fire it will keep burning for a very long time.
Stay with us for a more in-depth study!
What Happens When You Mix Styrofoam With Gasoline
You feel happy when a new machine comes into your home. You open it excitedly. But the beautiful white packing material that protects this fragile item is often ignored and is dumped in a dustbin. No, do not throw it in the bin. You can make a homemade bomb with it.
Packing material or styrofoam is polystyrene which becomes a sticky gum-like structure when dissolved in gasoline. Yes, all the air from the styrofoam beads was removed and it dissolved in gasoline leaving behind a white viscous mass.
When this white sticky substance allows it to dry, it hardens again but loses its original shape completely.
What Happens If You Put Styrofoam With Gasoline
First, break the styrofoam and make small pieces. After dipping it in gasoline, it will dissolve completely. Add more and more pieces until this solution is saturated and does not allow for the dissolution of more pieces of styrofoam.
Now styrofoam changes into sticky jelly-type flammable material. You can make a torch with this sticky material. Wrap a medium size wooden stick with this. This whitish jelly can burn for 1 hour and 13 minutes with a bright yellow flame.
Gasoline And Styrofoam Glue
When a small amount of gasoline is mixed with two to three bags of styrofoam beads, an air bubble comes out of this mixture. It will melt and make a sticky and gummy substance that acts like glue.
This glue can be used on paper and wood. Its drying time is 24 to 48 hours depending upon the size of an object. Press the surface on which this glue is used. After Harding, you will see the best result.
Campers use white gas with styrofoam to make a strong glue for repairing campsites. As highly inflammable you should take care and use this material in well-ventilated areas and away from any fire source.
Gasoline And Styrofoam as Roof Sealant (5 Extraordinary Benefits)
In the Philippines, Bangladesh, and countries where the average rainfall is very high, roofs of houses are damaged. Poor people could not repair their roofs easily and their holes cause trouble for them. Constructors and builders use a mixture of gasoline and styrofoam. This Roof sealant shows the following benefits:
- It is soft initially but when dried it becomes hard and durable material.
- Show water resistance and prove to be best in rainy areas.
- Material is cheaper and everyone can afford it easily.
- Solve the problem of pollution caused by styrofoam. Recycled styrofoam is not only cheaper but also reduces scraped pieces of it that may cause land pollution.
- When its glue is formed, it is soft and moldable. This moldable gummy material is very easy to handle and fills the gaps in holes. When it dries it is more sicky and strong adhesive to glue things together.
Why Does Styrofoam Dissolve In Gasoline
Polystyrene is a long chain of hydrocarbons in which every second carbon atom is linked with a benzene ring and a hydrogen atom and the remaining carbon is bonded with two hydrogens.
Like, dissolve like is a principle that explains how styrofoam dissolves in gasoline. Both are non-polar and so gasoline acts as a solvent and mixes up easily.
What Does styrofoam And Gasoline Make
Styrofoam is made of extruded polystyrene thus often termed XPS which is valued for its insulating and cushioning property. It consists of more than 95%of air and is widely used for insulation purposes. When we dissolve it in petrol it is escaped and leaves behind a combustible jelly type material sometimes called Napalm. What is the reality of this, let’s discuss it in detail.
Does a mixture of gas and styrofoam make Napalm?
Napalm is made by polymerization of styrene in benzene under controlled and careful conditions.
But the mixture of gasoline and styrofoam due to its sticky and flammable property named a homemade Napalm bomb. Napalm is used in the war zone and for its preparation powdered palmitic acid is also used along with some other materials. This mixture is loaded into a thin metal shell with a thermite starter. These bombs are dropped from aircraft at low altitudes on target. When they hit their thermite is started and Napalm is ignited.
So the napalm and a mixture of styrofoam and petrol are not similar. Both are sticky and combustive but the napalm bomb is quite different.
Will Diesel Melt Styrofoam
Styrofoam is not easily dissolved in petroleum-based diesel. Surprisingly if you put styrofoam in biodiesel, it will readily mix. So, never try to dissolve it in petroleum base diesel.
Gasoline In Styrofoam Cup
Very simply, if you put gasoline in a styrofoam cup, its bottom will melt and all of your petrol will spoil your clothes. You should know gasoline is a good solvent and eat up styrofoam in a few seconds. Never pour gas into your disposable cup otherwise you lose it.
Frequently Asked Question
Is extruded polystyrene fatal for human health?
The disposal of polystyrene is dangerous for human health. It does not decompose normally and is often burned to be disposed of. Burning of it produces styrene gas into the air producing many toxic substances that affect the nervous system.
What Is the use of XPS?
Extruded polystyrene or styrofoam is a synthetic hydrocarbon made of benzene and ethylene. These products are widely used for
- above-grade insulation applications such as walls, ceilings, attics, and roofs as well as below-grade insulation in foundations and basements.
- Used as packing material and disposable cups and plates
- Used in many electrical appliances
- Use in toys and other electronic accessories.
- It is also used for sealing holes and cracks in the home
Bottom lines
Land pollution is a big problem which makes this beautiful world ugly and horrible. One of the biggest reasons is the excess of non-biodegradable materials like plastic and styrofoam. And, the solution lies in dissolving them in gasoline or acetone to make something better out of a scrap of styrofoam.
Yes, you can make sealant roofs and glue. Because when we mix small pieces of styrofoam in gasoline, the air inside it is released. It converts into a thick gel-like structure. This is highly combustible and burns for a longer time than any other fuel.
Use this knowledge and make things easier and stronger around you. Perform this experiment and share your feelings with us.