CA - how it works

[ss_11000]

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question6951.htm

http://science.howstuffworks.com/question695.htm/image


<!-- dtl_id=479831 //-->Super glue deserves its name -- a single drop can permanently join your thumb to your index finger faster than you can say "Whoops," and a 1-square-inch bond can hold more than a ton. So how does this remarkable substance work? The answer lies in its main ingredient, cyanoacrylate (C<SUB>5</SUB>H<SUB>5</SUB>NO<SUB>2</SUB>, for you chemistry buffs).
Cyanoacrylate is an acrylic resin that cures (forms its strongest bond) almost instantly. The only trigger it requires is the hydroxyl ions in water, which is convenient since virtually any object you might wish to glue will have at least trace amounts of water on its surface.
White glues, such as Elmer's, bond by solvent evaporation. The solvent in Elmer's all-purpose school glue is water. When the water evaporates, the polyvinylacetate latex that has spread into a material's crevices forms a flexible bond. Super glue, on the other hand, undergoes a process called anionic polymerization. Cyanoacrylate molecules start linking up when they come into contact with water, and they whip around in chains to form a durable plastic mesh. The glue thickens and hardens until the thrashing molecular strands can no longer move.
If you think cyanoacrylate's ability to repair broken knick-knacks is super, wait until you hear about its other tricks. Super-glue fuming is sometimes used in criminal investigations to detect latent fingerprints. It works like this:

The object to be checked for prints is placed in a heated, airtight container.
Cyanoacrylate is introduced; it evaporates and is circulated throughout the container by fans.
The gaseous glue reacts with materials that may have been left behind in fingerprints (such as amino acids (http://science.howstuffworks.com/cell2.htm) and glucose (http://science.howstuffworks.com/diabetes1.htm)) and makes them visible.Another interesting application is the use of cyanoacrylate to close wounds in place of stitches. Researchers found that by changing the type of alcohol in super glue, from ethyl or methyl alcohol to butyl or octyl, the compound becomes less toxic to tissue. With further research, the practice may become more widespread and could eventually replace the need for stitching up lacerations. By the way, if you happen to find yourself in a super-sticky situation, a little bit of acetone nail-polish remover helps to unglue fingers.

[thefixer]

Its good to see your parents money wasn't completely wasted on your education Stirlo:D

Cheers
Shorty

[Harry72]

Coupla handy facts there Stirlo.

[OGYT]

Very G-oo-oo-d, Stirlo! Nice bit of research. :U

[ss_11000]

i found it looking for chemistry homework related material.

[Mobil Man]

Good job, feller.

[hughie]

i found it looking for chemistry homework related material.


:U certainly a good education not going to waste :2tsup:

[joe greiner]

.


:U certainly a good education not going to waste :2tsup:

Youbetcha. Education isn't just for learning stuff; also for learning how to learn other stuff.

Joe

[BernieP]

G'Day Stirlo,

Thanks for the useful info, that's what I like about this forum.

Cheers
Bernie

[prozac]

That was a good read Stirlo. Now I know not to try and scrub it off under water.

prozac

[Sawdust Maker]

Thanks Stirlo :2tsup:

[artme]

Goooood work Stirlo!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Want to do some research for me in your spare time?:D:D:D

[ss_11000]

Goooood work Stirlo!!:2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

Want to do some research for me in your spare time?:D:D:D
that implies i have spare time:( ( i probably should stop getting on the forums so often and finish my homeowrk in reasonable time )

[tea lady]

Someone had told me that super glue was developed originally to glue wounds together during the Vietnam war. Anyway, they do now use it in hospitals to glue wounds. When my son was playing superman and dived into the edge of the laminex bedside table with the missing side strip, (you know what is going to happen don't you.) and made a nice gash on his forehead. Off to the hospital I went, and they glued it together rather than stitching. Its life in the fast lane at our place.:D

[ss_11000]

i often use it as a bandaid because bandaids dont like staying on my fingers:(

[corbs]

I can attest to the finger print raising ability... I used it a few times to fix loose caps on Baron pens, finished then pen and put it all together. Couldn't figure out what the white patterns were on the chrome/gold end that goes into the cap for a while until I realised it was the super glue. We did it as an experiment when I was in high school too:2tsup:. Good info Stirlo... so what else is in the chemistry book:rolleyes:

[arose62]

I've read that superglue is the first-aid kit of choice for rock-climbing, and I've seen it used an a neighbour's kid. The explanation given to the parents added that it causes less scarring than stitching does.

Cheers,
Andrew

[tea lady]

I've read that superglue is the first-aid kit of choice for rock-climbing, and I've seen it used an a neighbour's kid. The explanation given to the parents added that it causes less scarring than stitching does.

Cheers,
Andrew
I think less damage to the hearing of the doctors and nurses too, from having to hold down screaming kids. Although Small Boy reckoned it stung. Left his super man cape at home I guess. Scare pretty small.

[Terry B]

It's certainly used for gluing wounds but isn't suitable for all wounds. They need to be dry ie not bleeding and not under any tension for it to work reasonably well.
Anothre disincentive is that medicare doesn't pay for a wound closed with glue compared to a suture. Not sure of the logic there but hey, it is the government.

[ss_11000]

thanx for that info Doc:2tsup:

so Terry, when you say its not suitable for wounds under stress - do you mean a cut etc, that will be constantly stretched and compressed???

[artme]

Stirlo if your fingers were't where they shouldn't be, eg: close to sharp edged implements, you wouldn't need first aid!!:D:D:p:p

[Lignum]

If ever i cut myself (often) some yellow hotstuff and squirt of accelerator is brillint

[Manuka Jock]

That was a good read Stirlo. Now I know not to try and scrub it off under water.

prozac

But if you 'massage' it with cooking oil , ( olive , 'cos thats what I use on some of my woodwork ) it will loosen up .

I always pour a bit out onto a saucer , before I start with the wee fiddly stuff .
Poured out first , because I find opening the bottle with thumbs and forefingers glued together a bit tricky :D

[ss_11000]

Stirlo if your fingers were't where they shouldn't be, eg: close to sharp edged implements, you wouldn't need first aid!!:D:D:p:p
these things just happen:-

If ever i cut myself (often) some yellow hotstuff and squirt of accelerator is brillint
:2tsup:exactly...do you get a slight burning sensation at all?

But if you 'massage' it with cooking oil , ( olive , 'cos thats what I use on some of my woodwork ) it will loosen up .

I always pour a bit out onto a saucer , before I start with the wee fiddly stuff .
Poured out first , because I find opening the bottle with thumbs and forefingers glued together a bit tricky :D

thanx for the tip. i shall try it next time i get unwanted glue on my hands:2tsup:

[powderpost]

Excellent thread, and I was excited about learning the chemical formula for sugar at school.... :wink:
thanks

Jim

[Terry B]

thanx for that info Doc:2tsup:

so Terry, when you say its not suitable for wounds under stress - do you mean a cut etc, that will be constantly stretched and compressed???
An example would be a scalp wound that is gaping a bit in the middle. It is common to have about 3-6mm of gape and it is held open by the tension in the skin. These don't go together very well with glue.
Wounds that naturally sit with the edges very near each other like a cut on the back of the hand are much better to glue.

[Lignum]

t

:2tsup:exactly...do you get a slight burning sensation at all?




Yep:- but its better than bleeding for an hour:)

[Woodturnerjosh]

I remember reading somewhere once that super glue was first invented as a material to make lenses in gun sights by the Eastman Kodak group but was put aside as it was impossible to work with. It wasn't until after, that it was used as a field first-aid glue.
Can't attest to the truth of this but it sounds good!:D
Cheers
Josh

[ss_11000]

from non other than the trusted wikipedia



General uses

Cyanoacrylate is a tenacious adhesive (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adhesive), particularly when used to bond non-porous materials or those that contain minute traces of water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water). It is also very good at bonding body tissue, and while this can be a bothersome (or even dangerous) side effect during everyday use, it has been exploited for the benefit of suture (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suture)-less surgery (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surgery).
Cyanoacrylate glue has a low shearing strength, which has also led to its use as a temporary adhesive in cases where the piece can easily be sheared off at a later time. Common examples include mounting a workpiece to a sacrificial glue block on a lathe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lathe) and also tightening pins and bolts.
Cyanoacrylates are often used to assemble prototype electronics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronics) (see wire wrap (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wire_wrap)), flying model aircraft (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Model_aircraft), and as retention dressings for nuts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nut_%28hardware%29) and bolts (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw#bolt). Their effectiveness in bonding metal and general versatility have also made them popular amongst modeling (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scale_model) and miniatures (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miniatures) hobbyists. They are used to re-harden the boxes and shanks of ballerinas' pointe shoes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pointe_shoes) as well.
One non-adhesive use for cyanoacrylate is as a forensic tool.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-0>[1] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate#cite_note-0)</SUP> Fumes from warmed CA can develop latent fingerprints on smooth surfaces like glass, plastic, etc. The invisible fingerprint residues react with the CA fumes and atmospheric moisture to form a white polymer (polycyanoacrylate) on the fingerprint ridges and can then be recorded. The developed fingerprints are, on most surfaces (except on white plastic or similar), visible to the naked eye. Non-visible or poorly visible prints can be furthermore enhanced by applying a luminescent or non-luminescent stain. This technique was shown in the films Beverly Hills Cop II (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beverly_Hills_Cop_II) and National Treasure (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Treasure_%28film%29), and frequently features in the television series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CSI:_Crime_Scene_Investigation) and its spin-offs.
Thin CA glue is also used as a wood finish, particularly among woodturners (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodturning). Its fast drying time and glossy finish make it ideal for small applications which generally look best when glossy (such as pens), although it is messy and somewhat expensive. A common mistake made by novice users is to use an accelerator, which can cloud and thus ruin the finish.
Some climbers use glue to prevent damage to the skin on their fingertips.

Medical uses

The use of cyanoacrylate glues in medicine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Medicine) was considered fairly early on. Eastman Kodak (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastman_Kodak) and Ethicon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethicon) began studying whether the glues could be used to hold human tissue together after surgery. In 1964, Eastman submitted an application to use cyanoacrylate glues to seal wounds to the United States Food and Drug Administration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Food_and_Drug_Administration) (FDA). Soon afterward Dr. Harry Coover's glue did find use in Vietnam (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam)—reportedly in 1966, cyanoacrylates were tested on-site by a specially trained surgical team, with impressive results. In an interview with Dr. Coover by the Kingsport Times-News, Coover said that the compound demonstrated an excellent capacity to stop bleeding, and during the Vietnam War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War), he developed disposable cyanoacrylate sprays for use in the battlefield.
<TABLE class=cquote style="MARGIN: auto; BORDER-TOP-STYLE: none; BORDER-RIGHT-STYLE: none; BORDER-LEFT-STYLE: none; BORDER-COLLAPSE: collapse; BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent; BORDER-BOTTOM-STYLE: none"><TBODY><TR><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 1 PADDING- 1 FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 35px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1 COLOR: #b2b7f2; PADDING- 1 FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',serif; TEXT-ALIGN: left" vAlign=top width=20>“</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 1 PADDING- 1 PADDING-BOTTOM: 4px; PADDING- 4px" vAlign=top>If somebody had a chest wound or open wound that was bleeding, the biggest problem they had was stopping the bleeding so they could get the patient back to the hospital. And the consequence was—many of them bled to death. So the medics used the spray, stopped the bleeding, and were able to get the wounded back to the base hospital. And many, many lives were saved.</TD><TD style="PADDING-RIGHT: 1 PADDING- 1 FONT-WEIGHT: bold; FONT-SIZE: 36px; PADDING-BOTTOM: 1 COLOR: #b2b7f2; PADDING- 1 FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman',serif; TEXT-ALIGN: right" vAlign=bottom width=20>”</TD></TR><TR><TD style="PADDING- 10px" colSpan=3>
<CITE style="FONT-STYLE: normal">—Dr. Harry Coover</CITE>


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The original Eastman formula was not FDA approved for medical use, however, because of a tendency to cause skin irritation and to generate heat. In 1998 the FDA approved 2-octyl cyanoacrylate for use in closing wounds and surgical incisions. Closure Medical has developed medical cyanoacrylates such as Dermabond, Soothe-N-Seal and Band-Aid Liquid Adhesive Bandage.

[ss_11000]

more from wikipedia

.

Properties

In its liquid form, cyanoacrylate consists of monomers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monomer) of cyanoacrylate molecules. Methyl-2-cyanoacrylate (CH<SUB>2</SUB>=C(CN)COOCH<SUB>3</SUB> or C<SUB>5</SUB>H<SUB>5</SUB>NO<SUB>2</SUB>) has a molecular weight equal to 111.1, a flashpoint (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flashpoint) of 79 °C, and 1.1 times the density of water (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_%28molecule%29). Ethyl-2-cyanoacrylate (C<SUB>6</SUB>H<SUB>7</SUB>NO<SUB>2</SUB>) has a molecular weight equal to 125 and a flashpoint of >75°C.
Generally, cyanoacrylate is an acrylic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acryl_group) resin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resin) which rapidly polymerises (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polymer) in the presence of water (specifically hydroxide (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydroxide) ions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ion)), forming long, strong chains, joining the bonded surfaces together. Because the presence of moisture causes the glue to set, exposure to moisture in the air can cause a tube or bottle of glue to become unusable over time. To prevent an opened container of glue from setting before use, it must be stored in an airtight jar or bottle with a package of silica gel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silica_gel).
Another important trait is that cyanoacrylate sets quickly, often in less than a minute. A normal bond reaches full strength in two hours and is waterproof. Accelerators such as toluidine (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toluidine) trigger setting in two or three seconds, with some loss of strength.
Acetone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetone), which is sometimes found in nail polish remover, is a commonly available solvent capable of softening cured cyanoacrylate. Nitromethane (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nitromethane) is also an excellent solvent. Methylene chloride (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Methylene_chloride) is the most effective but is toxic. Gamma-butyrolactone (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamma-butyrolactone) is also effective at removing superglue, and has low toxicity.
Low temperatures cause cyanoacrylate to become brittle. Cyanoacrylate's bonds can be weakened (allowing disassembly) by placing a glued object in a household freezer for several hours.
If applied to cotton, cyanoacrylate undergoes an exothermic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exothermic) reaction rapid enough to cause minor burns if spilled on clothing.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/ad/Cyanoacrylate_polymerisation.png/585px-Cyanoacrylate_polymerisation.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cyanoacrylate_polymerisation.png) http://en.wikipedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/magnify-clip.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Cyanoacrylate_polymerisation.png)
Polymerization of methyl-2-cyanoacrylate




Toxicity

<TABLE class="metadata plainlinks ambox ambox-content"><TBODY><TR><TD class=ambox-image>http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/e3/Question_book-3.svg/50px-Question_book-3.svg.png (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Question_book-3.svg)



</TD><TD class=ambox-text>This article needs additional citations (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citing_sources) for verification (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability).
<SMALL>Please help improve this article (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cyanoacrylate&action=edit) by adding reliable references (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Reliable_sources). Unsourced material may be challenged (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Fact) and removed. (June 2007)</SMALL>


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Cyanoacrylates bond skin and eyes in seconds. The National Toxicology Program and the United Kingdom Health and Safety Executive have concluded that the use of ethyl cyanoacrylate is safe and that additional study is unnecessary.<SUP class=reference id=cite_ref-1>[2] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanoacrylate#cite_note-1)</SUP> 2-octyl cyanoacrylate degrades much more slowly due to its longer organic backbone which slows the degradation of the adhesive enough to remain below the threshold of tissue toxicity. Due to these toxicity issues, 2-octyl-cyanoacrylate is used for sutures.
Cyanoacrylates give off vapor which is irritating to eyes, mucous membranes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mucous_membranes) and respiratory system. ACGIH (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Conference_of_Governmental_Industrial_Hygienists) assign a Threshold Limit Value (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threshold_Limit_Value) exposure limit of 0.2 parts per million (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parts_per_million). On rare occasions inhalation may trigger asthma (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asthma). There are a wide variety of adhesives of which different cyanoacrylate formulations may be a component. It is wisest to obtain and consult a manufacturers material safety data sheet (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Material_safety_data_sheet) for a product in order to consider the specific hazards associated with exposure.

[ss_11000]

http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/feneric/cyanoacrylate.html interesting read about the fingerprinting methods

[ss_11000]

I remember reading somewhere once that super glue was first invented as a material to make lenses in gun sights by the Eastman Kodak group but was put aside as it was impossible to work with. It wasn't until after, that it was used as a field first-aid glue.
Can't attest to the truth of this but it sounds good!:D
Cheers
Josh
i just read something like that on wikipedia:cool: