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Bopping molecules keep glue runny

[elmers.com] A solvent keeps capped glue from sticking.Q: This possibly has something to do with volume of air exposure, but I would like to know why glue doesn't stick to the inside of the bottle. A little girl asked this question and I have no idea. I have ever since wondered. --Mike M.

A: Glue and a solvent reside in a bottle of glue. The solvent keeps the glue from sticking inside the bottle.

[elmers.com] A solvent keeps capped glue from sticking.

When you squirt the glue out of the bottle onto a piece of paper or a broken china cup, the solvent gradually evaporates, allowing the glue to get sticky.

The solvent molecules bounce and jiggle at the surface of the glue-solvent mixture and some get enough energy (when neighbors slam into them) to escape. That's evaporation. Outside of the bottle, few solvent molecules remain near the spread glue to hit it and renter the mixture. So, gradually enough solvent molecules leave the mixture that the glue gets sticky.

It's different in the capped bottle. The solvent molecules evaporate inside the bottle-just as they do outside the bottle when you spread the glue. However, once airborne they don't have far to go. They're trapped in the bottle. Some of the solvent molecules near the surface of the glue bop into and reenter the glue. That's condensation. Gradually--as more and more solvent molecules crowd into the airspace above the glue-solvent mixture--more and more solvent molecules reenter the mixture. Until, eventually, as many solvent molecules leave as reenter and the mixture reaches equilibrium.

Glue manufacturers make sure the glue mixture stays runny by choosing a sufficiently small air space when they fill the bottle. You may have noticed that old glue in an almost empty bottle gets viscous or even solid. It's a good idea to buy only enough glue for use in the near future.

As far as sticking to the bottle is concerned, here's the poop from Elmer's glue: "If it were to dry out or harden, it would form a very weak bond with the special nonporous plastic used to make the bottle and could be de-bonded or removed easily," says Robert Thompson.

(Answered by April Holladay, science correspondent, Mar. 20, 2002)

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Elmers: glue projects

 

 

 

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