Glues organic solvents

Organic solvents inhaled by abusers include gasoline, glue, aerosols, amyl nitrite, butyl nitrite, typewriter correction fluid, lighter fluid, cleaning fluids, paint products, nail polish remover, waxes, and varnishes. Chemicals in these products include nitrous oxide, toluene, benzene, methanol, methylene chloride, acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl butyl ketone, trichloroethylene, and trichloroethane. 

Rastogi SC. 1993. Organic solvent levels in model and hobby glues. Bull Environ Contain Toxicol 51 501-507. 

While unaffected by water, styrofoam is dissolved by many organic solvents and is unsuitable for high-temperature applications because its heat-distortion temperature is around 77°C. Molded styrofoam objects are produced commercially from expandable polystyrene beads, but this process does not appear attractive for laboratory applications because polyurethane foams are much easier to foam in place. However, extruded polystyrene foam is available in slabs and boards which may be sawed, carved, or sanded into desired shapes and may be cemented. It is generally undesirable to join expanded polystyrene parts with cements that contain solvents which will dissolve the plastic and thus cause collapse of the cellular structure. This excludes from use a large number of cements which contain volatile aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, or esters. Some suitable cements are room-temperature-vulcanizing silicone rubber (see below) and solvent-free epoxy cements. When a strong bond is not necessary, polyvinyl-acetate emulsion (Elmer s Glue-All) will work. 

Much of the information about the harmful effects of organic solvents comes from studies of industrial exposure, although toluene abuse through sniffing of glues and other household sources of solvents (acrylic paints, adhesive cements, aerosol paints, lacquer thinners, shoe polish, typewriter correction fluids, varnishes, and fuels) has also been widely reported. 

Ethyl acetate is a common organic solvent with a characteristic odor. It is used in nail polish remover and model airplane glue. 

Properties Colorless liquid. D 1.0518 (25/25C), bp 205-206.5C, crystallizing point -37C, flash p 205F (96C) (COC), refr index 1.4301 (25C), surface tension 30 dynes/cm (25C), viscosity 2.18 cP (25C), pH (anhydrous) 7.0 (pH of 10 solution in distilled water 4.2). Miscible with water and most organic solvents, resins, waxes, etc. slightly miscible with zein, beeswax, petrolatum immiscible with anhydrous glycerin, glue, casein, arabic gum, and soybean protein. Combustible. 

The first prototype micromixer was a roughly 1 mm thick silicon plate with the dimensions of ca. 17 X 30 mm (Fig. 15.4). The hrst trivial task to be solved was how to introduce reagents and organic solvents into this micromixer. The first approach was to glue a hypodermic needle onto the silicon chip. The resulting construction was fairly fragile and had to be stabilized by a polymer cast. 

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