Here is my Science is Magic video I created with Annabelle –
AUDIENCE:
Who is the target audience for this project?
The target audience for this project are specifically adults or individuals that have a large amount of Styrofoam in their home. We are also trying to reach to people that don’t know how to dispose Styrofoam properly, or to show people how harmful Styrofoam really is. As we think many people don’t know the harmful consequences Styrofoam can have on the environment, sea animals, or even us if we were to ingest it from eating an animal. The explanation of how Styrofoam can melt because of acetone or any other additional information will be told at a middle school level.
CHEMICAL REACTION: (Our project is a physical reaction)
When the Styrofoam comes into contact with the acetone (CH3)2CO, it breaks down and dissolves from a solid into a liquid. The Styrofoam will then harden and become a solid again, as it’s a physical rather than a chemical reaction.
VIDEO SCRIPT:
Person: *Goes into garage and sees there is so much Styrofoam
The amount of Styrofoam I have here is embarrassing but I don’t know how to dispose of it properly.
*Sits on the couch and turns on the tv and goes through a few channels. – Some type of clicking sounds of the remote.
News channel starts to play – “Breaking News” – Some type of template.
News Reporter: There has been quite a few Coronavirus cases in the past few days. Although Covid is still a big problem in the world, we have many other serious issues on our hands. There are many products people aren’t disposing properly. Today we are talking about Styrofoam! Styrofoam is everywhere in our world, from takeout containers to home insulation. But how environmentally friendly is this product? Can it be recycled? Does it even decompose? Let’s take a closer look into this through a live interview with a scientist.
Person: Wait what… this is the problem I am facing. This will be interesting!
Scientist: Hello, there thank you for having me. My name is Theodora Bright. You may not know, but Styrofoam is a major problem to the environment today, as she mentioned. It is widely used for many different purposes, such as packaging, food, home renovations, in cars, craft projects, and so much more.
News Reporter: Wow, I didn’t know Styrofoam is used in so many of our day-to-day products.
Scientist: That is right. Styrofoam isn’t biodegradable and can take thousands of years to break down, even though it is made up of 95% air. Although it can be recycled, people often throw it away and it can end up in landfills or animal’s habitats. It may be lightweight, but it takes up a lot of space. Styrofoam can also end up in oceans, harming wildlife and ocean creatures. Eventually, humans can consume small amounts of Styrofoam that fish have eaten. It’s also a possible carcinogen, meaning it might cause cancer. Do you really want to be eating it with your food??
News Reporter: Cancer…really? Wow! That sounds even worse that I thought before. Isn’t there anything we can do about it?
Scientist: Yes, there is. Although this strategy doesn’t make Styrofoam completely disappear, it might be a temporary solution. My friend the magician here is coming in to tell us more.
Magician: Hello guys. Today I am here to do a special magic trick, related to Styrofoam! So, I have here a simple Styrofoam cup that you might want to dispose of after a birthday party. It is empty, and nothing has been added to it. This here is 100mls of plain water. I will now carefully place the cup in the water, and let it sit for 5 minutes… nothing happens
So, as you can see, nothing happened. Let’s try this again, but with a different liquid. This time we are using salt water. I will add 1 teaspoon of salt to this water, and stir it in. Let’s add the Styrofoam, and after 5 minutes, we’ll see what happened….. no change
Ok, well nothing has changed to the Styrofoam cup as well. Hmm…. Let me try this a third time, but with a new, mystery substance. I will now pour in the special substance and carefully put in the Styrofoam cup inside. Let’s wait about 5 minutes….
News Reporter: Wow, just like magic the Styrofoam melted away. That is so cool! There wasn’t any heat or fire. How does that even work?
Scientist: Well, actually it wasn’t magic, but science! Let me explain. The Styrofoam started out as a cup and is now dissolved into a liquid! Water and salted water did nothing, but the third solution was something called acetone {(CH3)2CO}, which is a chemical found in nail polish remover. It is a solvent, meaning that substances can dissolve when they touch it. There are other substances that can also dissolve the Styrofoam. Styrofoam is made up of mostly air pockets, which break down in the acetone. So, what is left is a liquid. Also, after a few hours that liquid will turn into a solid because this is a physical rather than a chemical reaction.
News Reporter: So, could this potentially be the solution to the Styrofoam problem?
Scientist: Well, kind of. You see it doesn’t dissolve the whole Styrofoam cup, but the acetone definitely compacts it. When it gets smaller it can more easily be transported and stored in less space. It also has a lower chance of being blown into waterways or travelling to the ocean and putting animals at risk.
News Reporter: That is so awesome. Are there any safety issues with this if someone would try this at home?
Scientist: It is good that you asked. Well, if you want to try this at home, I advise you to use nail polish remover that has acetone already in it and not just acetone. If you want to try this magic trick at home, make sure to wear safety googles as it can be harmful to the eyes. It also needs to be done in a well-ventilated area, because acetone can be dangerous if breathed in or ingested. Acetone is very flammable, so keep it far away from heat or fire.
News Person: Thanks for letting us know. So overall, do you think this is a good way to solve the issue with Styrofoam?
Scientist: Well, I believe that the best way to solve the problem is to stop using Styrofoam in the first place. If we stop using it all together, there would be no need to get rid of it, and none would end up in the landfill. But for now, I do think this solution could work so Styrofoam creates less of a negative impact. But keep in mind that acetone can be dangerous. To keep people safe, this isn’t something everyone should just do at home themselves. If we use acetone as a way to compact the Styrofoam, it should be done with proper safety equipment in a well-ventilated place.
News Person: That’s it for today everybody. Thank you for watching!
Person on couch: Wow, I should really think about my Styrofoam choices…
(Script is a bit modified in the video)
Lab Report
PURPOSE:
The purpose of our experiment was to dissolve a Styrofoam cup using acetone. We wanted to see if the cup would take up less space once it had dissolved. We thought this might be an interesting way to compact styrofoam and therefore make less of an environmental impact. Also, we tried the experiment with two other liquids, (water and salt water) to see if they would do anything to the cup.
OBSERVATIONS: HOW DOES THIS EXPERIMENT ‘LOOK’ LIKE MAGIC?
The experiment looks like magic because there is no fire or heat, but the Styrofoam still “melts” away. This is because acetone is a solvent, which means it can break down the air pockets in the Styrofoam and it becomes liquid. The liquid will also harden and turn back into a solid. When we tried this with plain water and salt water, they did nothing to the cup like we had expected.
MATERIAL LIST:
Chemicals
| Chemical Name & Formula | Amount: grams/milliliters |
| Acetone | 100 mL |
| Styrofoam | 3 separate cups |
| Salt | 1 teaspoon (5 mL) |
| Water | 100 mL |
Other supplies
| Pie plate/dish | 1 |
| Safety goggles | 1 per person |
PROCEDURE: (add any changes that were necessary/made)
- Prepare all supplies listed
- Put on safety goggles, and make sure long hair is tied back
- Pour 100 mL of water into bottom of pie plate
- Place 1 Styrofoam cup in water
- Let sit for 5 mins, and observe any changes
- Take out cup
- Add 5 mL of salt to the water, and place second cup in
- Let sit for 5 mins, and observe any changes
- Take out cup, and pour out salt water
- Pour 100 mL acetone into bottom of pie plate
- Carefully place another Styrofoam cup into acetone
- Observe the change! If nothing happens, push down on the top of cup to make sure it touches the acetone. Make sure to use gloves when pushing down the Styrofoam. You don’t want to get acetone on your hands or fingers.
- After experiment is complete, thoroughly clean area and properly dispose of materials.
- Wash hands to avoid contact with acetone.
CONCLUSION:
In conclusion, our experiment worked out very well. The Styrofoam dissolved in the acetone, making a liquid that we could stretch like slime. Everything went as we planned, and we were able to film it for our video. This was a fun, interesting experiment that taught us many things. We learned that Styrofoam is actually mostly air, which is why it can be compacted into such a small amount of liquid. We also learned how much Styrofoam affects the world around us. Although this experiment isn’t the best thing for the environment, it might be an innovative way to help make a smaller impact. If we were to do this experiment again, it would be interesting to try it with a bigger piece of Styrofoam to see if it could still dissolve and get the same result.
Here are some additional questions:
- How does the time spent in the acetone affect the rate that the Styrofoam dissolves?
- What other substances might possibly dissolve Styrofoam?
- What is the lowest concentration of acetone that could still dissolve Styrofoam?
- What other products can acetone dissolve?
SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION:
Styrofoam is made from polystyrene, which is a liquid with air pumped into it. So, when the acetone is exposed to the polystyrene, it starts to break down and the air pockets are broken down as well. Once the air is taken away, the Styrofoam begins to compact and starts dissolving. This may look like magic, but it’s just the Styrofoam dissolving into acetone, which is acting as a solvent.
Sources/Bibliography (easybib.com):
Beals, Craig. “Melting Styrofoam Heads with Acetone!” Bealsscience, 1 Feb. 2020, www.bealsscience.com/post/2017/01/24/melting-styrofoam-heads-with-acetone.
Gillespie, Claire. “Acetone and Styrofoam Experiment.” Sciencing, 2 Mar. 2019, sciencing.com/acetone-styrofoam-experiment-2768.html.
Rubio, Michelle Rose. “Recycling of Polystyrene Wastes.” EcoMENA, 6 Sept. 2018, www.ecomena.org/polystyrene-wastes/.