Experiment of the Week: Dissolving Styrofoam
Dissolving Styrofoam
INGREDIENTS
- Styrofoam Cups
- Acetone
- Disposable Gloves
- Pie Pan
INSTRUCTIONS
STEP 1: Place the disposable gloves on your hands and then pour 1 cup of acetone into the pie pan.
STEP 2: Place the Styrofoam cups into the pie pan of acetone and observe. Describe and classify the Styrofoam cups, before and after placing them into the pie pan of acetone, by their observable properties. Develop a model to describe how the Styrofoam cups are made of particles too small to be seen.
EXPLANATION
The acetone is a solvent that easily dissolves the bonds between the polymers, which make up the Styrofoam cups.
