Turning children's glue into drinkable alcohol

Key Concepts

Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA), Acetic Acid, Ethanol, Distillation, Fractional Distillation, Sodium Acetate, Sodium Borohydride, Dimethyl Sulfide, FTIR, NMR, Ground News, Media Bias.

Turning Children's Glue into Drinkable Alcohol

Initial Goal and Theory

The video explores the possibility of converting children's glue, primarily composed of Polyvinyl Acetate (PVA), into drinkable alcohol (ethanol). The theory is to break down PVA into Acetic Acid (vinegar) and then convert the Acetic Acid into Ethanol through chemical processes.

Drying the Glue

• Initial Attempt (Air Drying): The initial method of air drying the glue was extremely slow, taking over 14 days and still not achieving complete dryness due to a thick surface layer forming.
• Second Attempt (Food Dehydrator): Chopping the glue and using a food dehydrator improved the process but still left the glue insufficiently dry after a week.
• Successful Method (Vacuum Oven): A vacuum oven at 80°C was used to remove the remaining water. The vacuum lowered the boiling point of water, facilitating its removal without degrading the PVA. This process took several days.

Reducing the Size of the Dried PVA

• Failed Attempts: Food processors, blenders, and hammers all failed to effectively break down the dried PVA.
• Successful Method (Wood Chipper): A wood chipper was used to shred the PVA into smaller, manageable pieces. The PVA was passed through the chipper multiple times to achieve the desired size.

Converting PVA to Acetic Acid (Distillation)

• Setup: The PVA was placed in a round bottom flask with a heating mantle, a three-way adapter with a thermometer, and a condenser column connected to a vacuum pump. The vacuum was crucial to prevent burning and charring.
• Process: The flask was heated slowly. Initial distillate was mostly water. As the temperature increased (around 160°C), the distillate turned yellow, indicating PVA degradation. At 200°C, the mixture turned red, and black liquid formed.
• Byproducts: The distillation produced Acetic Acid, but also undesirable byproducts like Acetone and carcinogenic Benzene.
• Separation: The distillate separated into two layers, with a black oily layer suspected to be Benzene.

Cleaning the Acetic Acid

• Separatory Funnel: The mixture was placed in a separatory funnel to separate the layers.
• pH Test: A pH test confirmed the presence of acid.
• Neutralization with Baking Soda: Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) was added to neutralize the Acetic Acid, forming Sodium Acetate, water, and CO2. This process was slow and required nearly 1 kg of baking soda.
• Boiling: The solution was boiled to remove volatile organic compounds (VOCs) like Benzene and water, leaving solid Sodium Acetate.
• Acetone Wash: The Sodium Acetate was washed with Acetone to remove remaining impurities. Hot Acetone was used for more effective cleaning.
• Vacuum Oven Drying: The washed Sodium Acetate was dried in a vacuum oven.

Converting Sodium Acetate back to Acetic Acid

• Setup: The dried Sodium Acetate was placed in a flask with a separatory funnel containing concentrated Sulfuric Acid.
• Process: Sulfuric Acid was slowly added, reacting with the Sodium Acetate to produce Acetic Acid and Sodium Sulfate. The heat generated boiled off the Acetic Acid, which was collected through distillation.
• Issue: The resulting Acetic Acid was yellow and contained water.

Drying the Acetic Acid (Again)

• Dichloromethane (DCM) and Magnesium Sulfate: Acetic Acid was mixed with Dichloromethane (DCM) and Magnesium Sulfate to remove water.
• Fractional Distillation: The mixture underwent fractional distillation using a fractionating column. DCM and water were distilled off first, followed by pure Acetic Acid at 118°C.
• Yield: The final yield was approximately 100 ml of theoretically pure Acetic Acid.
• Verification: FTIR and NMR confirmed the presence and purity of Acetic Acid.

Converting Acetic Acid to Ethanol

• Reaction: Acetic Acid was reacted with Sodium Borohydride in Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) under Argon atmosphere. Methane Sulfonic Acid was added to catalyze the reaction.
• Process: Sodium Borohydride was added to DMSO, followed by Acetic Acid. Methane Sulfonic Acid in DMSO was then added dropwise. The reaction was exothermic and required cooling.
• Quenching: The reaction was quenched with a Sodium Hydroxide solution.
• Distillation: The mixture was distilled to separate Ethanol and water. Dimethyl Sulfide (DMS) was a significant byproduct.

Cleaning the Ethanol

• Fractional Distillation: The distillate underwent further fractional distillation to increase Ethanol concentration.
• Copper and Filtration: Copper was added during distillation to remove sulfur compounds. The distillate was filtered through activated charcoal and ion exchange resin.
• Final Product: A small amount (less than 90 ml) of approximately 68% Ethanol was obtained.

Tasting and Final Thoughts

• Smell Test: The final product had a slight chemical smell, but was mostly ethanol.
• Taste Test: The alcohol had a "chemical gasoline flavor" but was deemed drinkable.
• Conclusion: The project successfully converted children's glue into drinkable alcohol, although the process was complex, time-consuming, and yielded a small amount of alcohol with a unique flavor.

Ground News Sponsorship

• Description: Ground News is an independent app and website that helps users critically analyze news by aggregating articles and providing context on media bias.
• Features:
  • Bias comparison across media outlets.
  • Factuality ratings.
  • Blind Spot Feed: Highlights stories that may be missed due to filter bubbles.
• Example: The video uses a NASA story about asteroid Bennu to demonstrate how Ground News helps identify potential bias and compare coverage across different outlets.
• Offer: A limited-time offer of 40% off the Unlimited Vantage plan is available through a link and QR code.

Additional Projects and Patreon

• The creator mentions working on over 20 projects simultaneously, including making magnets from scratch, graphene aerogel, carbon nanotubes, liquid helium, and tungsten cubes.
• Patreon supporters receive early access to videos and access to removed content. Higher-tier supporters ($5+) are credited at the end of the video.