A 2 metre long polystyrene pole is placed upright in a doctor’s bag and appears to quickly sink into it. The pole continues to slide into the bag until it is completely submerged.
How does it work?
Hidden in the doctor’s bag is a tall glass of Acetone. Acetone loosens the long molecular chains in the polystyrene, allowing them to come apart from one another. As this happens a violent, bubbling reaction occurs, due to the leaven agent used to make polystyrene escaping.
At the end of the demonstration a white polystyrene substance remains at the bottom of the container. When the Acetone is poured away this substance hardens. This shows that no chemical reaction has occurred, only a change in the polystyrene’s structure.
