MEL Chemistry | Sweet DIY gummy bear glue @melchemistry7035 | Uploaded July 2019 | Updated October 2024, 3 hours ago.
Just how mighty can gummy bears be? Can they glue bricks together? Check this video for the answer!
Equipment: three packs of gummy bears, glass bowl, water bath, two bricks, paintbrush.
Empty three packs of gummy bears into a glass bowl and melt them in a water bath. When they turn into a thick, viscous mass, use a paintbrush to apply this mass to a brick. Press with a second brick and wait 2 minutes for the “glue” to harden. The bricks are cemented together!
Gummy bears contain gelatin, an additive derived from an animal protein known as collagen. It is used as a thickener or gelling agent in foods, medicines, and cosmetics. When introduced to water, gelatin granules swell and increase in volume. If the swollen gelatin is heated to approximately 50°C, it will melt to form either a liquid or a viscous mass depending on concentration. Gelatin is capable of acting as an adhesive. Moreover, gummy bears contain glucose syrup (usually up to 43% glucose), which contributes to their adhesive properties. When heated, the gummy bears form a viscous, sticky mass.
The interactions between an adhesive and the surfaces it connects vary in accordance with their structures:
- van der Waals – intermolecular forces arising due to interactions between the molecules’ dipole moments and polarization of the electron shells;
- Chemical – the formation of various chemical bonds between surface atoms;
- Electrostatic – the interaction of different charges;
- Diffuse – mutual permeation of the adhesive and the surface into each other.
Safety precautions: conduct the experiment under adult supervision only.
Just how mighty can gummy bears be? Can they glue bricks together? Check this video for the answer!
Equipment: three packs of gummy bears, glass bowl, water bath, two bricks, paintbrush.
Empty three packs of gummy bears into a glass bowl and melt them in a water bath. When they turn into a thick, viscous mass, use a paintbrush to apply this mass to a brick. Press with a second brick and wait 2 minutes for the “glue” to harden. The bricks are cemented together!
Gummy bears contain gelatin, an additive derived from an animal protein known as collagen. It is used as a thickener or gelling agent in foods, medicines, and cosmetics. When introduced to water, gelatin granules swell and increase in volume. If the swollen gelatin is heated to approximately 50°C, it will melt to form either a liquid or a viscous mass depending on concentration. Gelatin is capable of acting as an adhesive. Moreover, gummy bears contain glucose syrup (usually up to 43% glucose), which contributes to their adhesive properties. When heated, the gummy bears form a viscous, sticky mass.
The interactions between an adhesive and the surfaces it connects vary in accordance with their structures:
- van der Waals – intermolecular forces arising due to interactions between the molecules’ dipole moments and polarization of the electron shells;
- Chemical – the formation of various chemical bonds between surface atoms;
- Electrostatic – the interaction of different charges;
- Diffuse – mutual permeation of the adhesive and the surface into each other.
Safety precautions: conduct the experiment under adult supervision only.
