Chemical Forums
Chemistry Forums for Students => High School Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: julian on April 12, 2015, 09:33:38 PM
-
I've seen this cool experiment with just acetone and styrofoam, I actually made it myself, and according to the explanations I've read, the acetone simply dilutes the styrofoam and it looks that way because styrofoam contains a lot of air. So:
1. The result is a mixture, not a compund at all, right?
2. If it is a mixture, which method could I use to separate it?
Here's a link to see a video of the experiment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9Jx8NRkWTo
-
Are you actually planning to carry out a separation? If so, what do you hope to achieve? Acetone has a boiling point of 56degsC, whereas the melting point of Styrofoam is 240 degsC. This means the acetone would evaporate off leaving the Polystyrene at low temperatures. However, acetone is also highly flammable, so a heated distillation should only be attempted by experienced professionals with suitable equipment. If you just leave the dish in a dry place for a few days, not in direct sunlight, the acetone will evaporate off, but even that should be properly risk assessed as there would still be a fire risk.
-
according to the explanations I've read, the acetone simply dilutes the styrofoam
1. The result is a mixture, not a compund at all, right?
The acetone dissolves the styrofoam, the result is a solution of polystyrene in acetone.
Note that removal of the acetone alone will not recreate the expanded form of polystyrene that went in.