Orbeez use in the lab

Both of which he has…

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Maybe he’s just into that kind of thing?

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OK, so something like 2 hours have passed, have the soil granules expanded at all?

They soaked all kinds of stuff up, I could taste the alcohol too.

Edit: this was some gree tea liqueur

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Some questions.

Did you rinse the crystals before tasting them?

Was the remaining liqueur a different color?

Did the remaining liqueur taste different, or stronger?

I suspect that alcohol will absorb initially, but will be released, as the gel absorbs more water. It might be necessary to soak overnight, to allow water saturation and bonding, displacing other stuff trapped in the gel.

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I’m still looking for my beads

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They were rinsed until the water ran clear

Remaining liqueur was about the same hue

Dunno about taste of the original, I’ll taste some of this and the original too.

I split a gel bead in half and the color was all the way through.

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If it helps I can dedicate my services and repeat this test with a sample of hemp derived terpenes and the gel.

I can get the sample tested to see if there’s any leaching/unknowns and see what specifically is lost in the sample compared to the test results before the experiment. I’ve been looking to do some before and after testing on different CRC filter media to see what groups of aromatic compounds are being lost and when. Someone just tell me where to buy some baby diaper filtertek, preferably on Amazon.

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Eat. :clap: All. :clap: The. :clap:Beads. :clap:

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I ran over half a baby pools worth of these with the lawnmower earlier this summer. My grass is greener and fuller there now. :thinking::smile:

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Here is an example, there are lots of listings.

https://smile.amazon.com/MINLIN-50000pcs-Shaped-Crystal-Weeding/dp/B07GSJYTBZ/ref=sr_1_13?dchild=1&keywords=water+beads&qid=1599797942&sr=8-13

I was just reading about this. This compound forms hydrogel in the body. “*mucopolysaccharidesHyaluronic acid - Wikipedia

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“In the polymer chain, the two most important groups are the carbonyl (COOH) and sodium (Na). When in the presence of a liquid, the Sodium detaches from the carbonyl group, thus forming two ions: a carboxyl (COO-) and a sodium ion (Na+). The negative charge on the carboxyl groups repel each other, and as a result the polymer chain begins to unfold and expand…It is also important to note that the more pure the water is, the larger the Orbeez will grow. This is because rate of this reaction is known to be dependent on the chemical composition and concentration of distilled water in the surrounding”

from bcachemistry discovering the chemistry of informercials

as for alcohol solubility:

PAANa did not have alcohol absorbency

from Kabiri, K. Polymers Advanced Techn. 2013. 24(1). 28-33

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Welcome to the forums. Thanks for the citation.

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I have a theory.

After studying the mechanism of expansion, it appears that secondary components in the liquid are held in the matrix. However, this occurs because the polymer is still partially folded, forming empty pockets within the molecule.

My theory is that these “extra” items will be expelled, as the chain expands toward maximum.

It is commonly stated that these polymers can absorb between 100-1000 times their own weight, in pure water. So, a significant uncertainty that needs resolution is the “water absorption capacity” for the specific polymer formulation being used. This would be determined by placing a small weighed amount, of the pellets, into a large amount of de-ionized water. After a long soak, filter out the balls and weigh them again. These balls, after the long soak, should be at maximum expansion. Their final weight, minus the initial weight, will give you a solid estimate of their true absorbing capacity.

Once the water holding capacity is known, use slightly less than the amount needed, to ensure that most of the water is absorbed, while allowing every polymer molecule will reach complete hydration. When fully expanded, the gel should release trapped alcohol,.

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I think it will dissolve in solvent like acetone and alkanes. It seems pretty okay in alcoohols and acids. It can be used from scavenging metals and pesticides.

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Are all of these (diapers, plant etc.) The same compound?

It is probably too hopeful to expect no alcohol loss at all with these. Large pockets are formed molecularly when it swells and there will be diffusion in and out of the pockets. That’s why molecular sieves are still the gold standard owing to their rigid molecular structure. If the loss it small it will still be worth it.

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The compound used in most of the various products is Sodium Polyacrylate.

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Do you think it would be good to use to dehydrate isopropyl alcohol or something of the like then?

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