How old is silly string

Silly String brand streamers don't contain ozone-depleting propellants; in their place is a propellant that is both nonvolatile and nonflammable, Oram notes. Liquid spray streamers take on their familiar stringy form when they're propelled up a skinny tube and out of the aerosol can.

That process is eerily reminiscent of how another Halloween mainstay, the spider, works with polymers, says biomedical engineer David L. Kaplan of Tufts University. Spiders turn a biopolymer solution into the sticky string we recognize as spider silk.

When a spider pulls the silk protein through a narrow duct—akin to the skinny tube in the aerosol can—the amino acid chains align, coaxing them into their new form, Kaplan says. Kaplan and his coworkers have taken inspiration from both spiders and Silly String to develop a modified, extra-sticky version of spider silk that behaves like a spray streamer when extruded from a syringe.

Even though sprayable foaming polymers have found some serious applications, no one's forgotten the silly spirit of the invention. Army Sgt. People sprayed it on each other in the barracks," he says. Contact the reporter. Submit a Letter to the Editor for publication. Engage with us on Twitter.

The power is now in your nitrile gloved hands Sign up for a free account to increase your articles. Or go unlimited with ACS membership. Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need. Don't miss out. Renew your membership, and continue to enjoy these benefits. Not Now. Grab your lab coat. OnePlus' second Nord handset offers a lot for not a lot.

OnePlus has released many a phone of late, but it's still offering surprises. OnePlus is back with a phone low on gimmicks and high on specs. Related Reviews and Shortlists TV. Interview: we speak to one of the original The Simpsons creators A simple press of the nozzle on the top of the aerosol can results in a long string of foamy plastic shooting across the room…and usually onto a friend.

The strings of plastic foam are very light, but they hold together and can stick to surfaces, including people and walls. How does a liquid inside an aerosol can turn into foamy plastic strings that shoot through the air? Is it magic? It's just chemistry. The exact formula for the chemical mixture inside a can of Silly String is a closely-held secret.

However, scientists who have studied the original patent have a fairly-good idea of the types of chemicals involved and what they do.

When you press the nozzle of a Silly String can, a difference in pressure is created that allows a chemical propellant to push the liquid chemical mixture inside the Silly String can through a thin tube into the air.

The chemicals react together to form lightweight foam that's surrounded by a flexible and slightly-sticky plastic skin. There are three main ingredients involved. A resin forms the sticky plastic coating of the strings. A surfactant makes the resin foam and become sticky. The propellant forces the chemicals out of the can, helping them to foam and mix together as it evaporates.

Silly String also contains a few other ingredients that add to its unique composition. Plasticizers make the strings longer, while silicone liquids make the strings easier to clean-up. Various pigments are added to give the strings specific colors. Finally, flame retardants are included to make sure the strings are non-flammable. Despite efforts to make Silly String both fun and easy to remove, some cities have banned the use of Silly String at certain celebrations and on particular holidays, such as Halloween.

Nevertheless, it remains a popular product with kids of all ages. It's popular with more than just kids, though. Over the past decade, military units have found a very practical use for Silly String: detecting dangerous trip wires.

In Iraq, for example, soldiers use Silly String before entering a building that they suspect could contain a bomb. It's very hard to detect nearly-invisible trip wires that detonate a bomb when triggered. Soldiers shoot Silly String across a room before entering. If it all falls to the ground, they know it's safe to enter.

If it hangs in the air, however, they know it's caught on a trip wire and they can avoid triggering explosives. Are you ready for some silly fun? Don't forget to explore the following activities with a friend or family member:. We thought it looked like the dogs were participating in the family fun and the owners were aware and keeping the dogs safe from ingesting the Silly String.

Oh, Riah! We didn't mean to suggest that dogs should be around the silly string. We're sorry if that's how you took it. The article itself doesn't mention anything about using it with pets, but we can see that the image with the dog in the birthday hat might be suggesting that it's okay.

Ok thank you for the clarification it was shocking to see the dog like that. But now I feel better. But I would suggest better wonders most of them are boring!! Hey, Riah--we're glad we could clear that up! If you have suggestions for Wonders you'd find interesting, feel free to head over to the Wonder Bank and submit them!

Let us know what you think! Which Wonder is your favorite so far, allie? Hi, aliie! And not to worry - Silly String is not toxic! GREAT question! It depends somewhat on who is manufacturing the silly string. We encourage you to do a little research and see what else you can find out! Hi, mason! Thanks for sharing your connection to this Wonder. We hope you were able to get all the silly string out of your eye. Some additional charges may apply.

The world? We don't know, Dontae and it depends who you ask. That's a good question to Wonder about, though. Glad you liked it! One of those things most of us probably don't think about but fun to know! They covered the dogs in silly string! But to be fair, it's definitely more exciting to actually use silly string yourself than to just watch a video about it.

Thanks, Anonymous! That attraction-repulsion combination helps glue together molecules in the solution so the string comes out in one solid, silly stream.

The stickiness also helps the stuff lightly cling to surfaces—and people—after launch. Shaking the can mixes the solvent-that-shall-not-be-named with the rest of the ingredients, forming a temporary blend of plastics, minerals, and propellants.

Both the water and the solvent quickly evaporate outside the can, leaving the foamy solids behind. The aerosol powerhouse that sends the mixture flying is a relative of Freon, the ozone-depleting refrigerant that pressurized first-gen Silly String back in