How to Make a Cup Chemically Disapear

video How to Make a Cup Chemically Disapear

Styrofoam is a polymer and when brought into contact with
acetone the polymer breaks down into its monomers. This
demonstration show the process of depolymerization. It looks pretty cool.

Need a Petri dish (something that is not Plastic to hold Demonstrations in
Styrofoam Cup is placed into petri dish and 20 mL of acetone is poured in

Clean up let acetone evaporate, throw out cup gew.

acetone can be replaced with a number of different solvents like gasoline.

peach_fart says: Mar 20, 2009. 11:57 PM

noo, dont use gas unless you want napalm

Tparker223 in reply to peach_fartApr 23, 2012. 12:48 PM

Makes "cheap" napalm not real napalm...

rajan007RJ says: Feb 1, 2012. 6:11 AM

its gooooooood

busterbuster18724 says: Oct 10, 2011. 5:54 PM

can you get the chemicals in nz or what out of?

No-Shi-De says: Jul 8, 2011. 1:02 PM

VERY VERY VERY COOL!!! but all i know about styro is if u cut it, its bad for the ozone... those any body know if this is eco friendly??? (not much of a chemist)

Superpoopa in reply to No-Shi-DeSep 19, 2011. 3:04 AM

its bad cause it releases a type of gas thats pretty bad,(i forgot what kind of gas it was but you can do this outside) and when the cup is melted, its like napalm, you can light it up and acetone can be found it nail polish remover

No-Shi-De in reply to SuperpoopaSep 19, 2011. 7:17 AM

now... wen u said napalm... ur saying napalm BOOM BOOM.. like in the movies?

zapper067 says: Aug 6, 2011. 5:08 AM

but not water...

infectiousburden says: Mar 21, 2008. 1:58 AM

you can use a finger nail polish remover with acetone in it, it will also dissolve cigarette butts of course the unused butts have a white look the used ones are yellowish to orangeish anyway have fun

qualia in reply to infectiousburdenFeb 25, 2011. 1:37 PM

thanks to the ciggie butts being made up of cellulose acetate fibres. which you already knew, but im just putting in that little bit of trivia for those that don't.

knex_mepalm says: Sep 12, 2010. 5:46 AM

Im melting - wizard of oz

alltootechnical says: Apr 26, 2010. 7:12 AM

Styrofoam and acetone are different, right? They have different polarities. So they react each other.

bumpus says: Jan 25, 2008. 1:06 PM

you could also do that with mountain dew, or gas but the resulting substance is napalm like

austin in reply to bumpusJan 26, 2008. 12:07 PM

haha you cant do that with mountain dew.

bumpus in reply to austinJan 26, 2008. 6:34 PM

my 8th grade science teacher had a party before christmas break and sombody left a styrofome cup half full of mountain dew on the table that never got thrown away and when we got back he said it desolved the bottom

Nyxius in reply to bumpusJan 28, 2010. 9:51 PM

not chemically possible...he's just yanking your chain for not cleaning up after your self.

technodude92 in reply to bumpusFeb 24, 2008. 12:14 AM

it's like the wonder drink.

technodude92 in reply to bumpusFeb 24, 2008. 12:14 AM

and it kills sperm

Tparker223 in reply to technodude92Apr 23, 2012. 12:47 PM

Not all Mountain dews do that only the red kind.

Kataze in reply to technodude92May 1, 2008. 10:07 PM

course it does

NinjaSloth in reply to KatazeOct 10, 2008. 9:34 PM

yay!

jakee117 in reply to KatazeSep 11, 2008. 4:12 PM

good so its fake

yay!

goes of and drinks gallons of mountain dew

Pizzapie500 says: Oct 20, 2009. 6:28 PM

Someone came into our school and said in the wizard of oz, the witch disappered by dorothy throwing water on her. Then he took out a witch head made of styrofoam and threw acetone on it but he said it's water (then he explained it wasn't). The witch head melted lolz!

battlebotrock says: Apr 28, 2009. 9:34 PM

cool!!!!!!!

mrpoe says: Mar 10, 2008. 9:26 PM

were do u get acetone?

franklinonline in reply to mrpoeMar 29, 2009. 8:33 PM

its called nail polish remover

z0mbi3 man says: Mar 21, 2008. 8:23 PM

where does he get all of these crazy chemicals?

franklinonline in reply to z0mbi3 manMar 29, 2009. 8:33 PM

acatone is sometimes called nail polish remover and the foam cup you can get anywhere

livesteamfan says: Jun 25, 2008. 6:36 PM

I'm not that great with chemicals and stuff like that, but what's napalm?

garden burger in reply to livesteamfanOct 4, 2008. 6:17 AM

a high explosive

Tparker223 in reply to garden burgerApr 23, 2012. 12:48 PM

put it in a pipe and make a wireless sparker... you will get a nice little boom

Behb in reply to garden burgerNov 14, 2008. 10:14 AM

No, it's just a thick, very sticky, slowburning and flammable liquid. Not an explosive and certainly not HE =).

Matt D655 says: Jul 19, 2008. 7:28 AM

cool dogg

Cat on my Lap says: Jul 8, 2008. 1:21 PM

I think you mean "goo" not "gew."

The-X says: Jun 2, 2008. 6:49 PM

Oh boy, replace acetone with gasoline and you get napalm!

thomas the lover in reply to The-XJun 24, 2008. 1:34 PM

Napalm the f****rs just like in nam

Captinilliterate in reply to The-XJun 7, 2008. 4:30 PM

Gasoline + Styrofoam = Napalm? Not being a smarta**, just curious

Ursell in reply to CaptinilliterateFeb 26, 2009. 9:39 PM

Its more commonly called Poor mans Napalm cuz it isn't technically Napalm

FuyuKitsune in reply to UrsellMay 4, 2010. 5:41 PM

actually it is napalm (or at least the old type of napalm). Napalm is (or was, they may have changed it) part polystyrene, part gasoline, and then a little accelerant to make sure the flame ignites every bit of napalm before it splatters.