Chemical reaction between polystyrene and acetone

How to dissolve a plastic foam in acetone

Ace­tone is a good sol­vent. Poly­styrene foam eas­i­ly dis­solves in it.

Reagents and equip­ment:

  • ace­tone;
  • poly­styrene foam;
  • large mea­sur­ing glass.

Step-by-step in­struc­tions

Pour ace­tone into a mea­sur­ing glass. Slow­ly im­merse the pieces of plas­tic foam in the ace­tone. To con­duct the ex­per­i­ment in an­oth­er way, you can pour ace­tone on to a piece of plas­tic foam.

Pro­cess­es de­scrip­tion

Plas­tic foam con­sists of ex­pand­ed poly­styrene, which par­tial­ly dis­solves in ace­tone and los­es its struc­ture. The air con­tained in the plas­tic foam leaves it, which caus­es its vol­ume to de­crease dras­ti­cal­ly.

Safe­ty pre­cau­tions

Wear pro­tec­tive glass­es and gloves. The ex­per­i­ment should be car­ried out in a fume hood or well-ven­ti­lat­ed room. Fol­low gen­er­al safe­ty rec­om­men­da­tions. Chem­i­cal ex­per­i­ments must be car­ried out in full com­pli­ance with the leg­is­la­tion of your coun­try.

Warn­ing! Sub­stances of this ex­per­i­ment are tox­ic and high­ly dan­ger­ous for your health. Do not try this at home. Only un­der pro­fes­sion­al su­per­vi­sion.

Try it