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Turning Styrofoam into Cinnamon Candy

Jul 9, 2024

Turning Styrofoam into Cinnamon Candy

Introduction

  • Sponsored by Nebula
  • Goal: Turn Styrofoam into cinnamon candy
  • Styrofoam: Made from polystyrene (composed of styrene molecules)
  • Similarity between Styrene and cinnamaldehyde (cinnamon flavor molecule)

Materials Needed

  • Styrofoam cups
  • Acetone (nail polish remover)
  • Magnesium oxide (catalyst)
  • Solvent: Dimethylformamide (DMF)
  • Hazardous chemicals: Phosphorus oxychloride
  • Other materials: Sodium acetate, diethyl ether, sodium sulfate

Process Overview

  1. Collecting Styrofoam

    • Acquired a bag of Styrofoam cups
    • Styrofoam is 95% air, needs volume reduction
  2. Eliminating Air from Styrofoam

    • Dissolve Styrofoam in acetone
    • Result: Polystyrene Goo
    • Dry polystyrene by spreading on a tray, break apart regularly
    • Final result: Dry polystyrene chunks, blended into powder
  3. Breaking Down Polystyrene

    • Convert polystyrene back into styrene using heat and magnesium oxide
    • Collected styrene by distillation
    • Purified styrene through further distillation
    • Validated purity with FTIR and H-NMR
  4. Transforming Styrene to Cinnamaldehyde

    • Involves Vilsmeier-Haack reaction
    • Prepare Vilsmeier reagent by reacting phosphorus oxychloride with DMF
    • Add styrene to Vilsmeier reagent, then add sodium acetate solution to convert intermediate to cinnamaldehyde
    • Further distillation to purify cinnamaldehyde
    • Validate and confirm purity with FTIR and H-NMR
  5. Making Cinnamon Candy

    • Use sugar, water, and corn syrup heated to 'hard crack' stage
    • Add cinnamon oil and red dye to mixture
    • Pour onto silicone mat to cool and form dough-like consistency
    • Roll through customized candy machine to form heart shapes
    • Sugar-coating step skipped for aesthetic preference

Challenges Faced

  • Avoiding fire hazards with acetone vapors
  • Ensuring complete drying of polystyrene goo
  • Troubles during candy making (solid chunks forming in sugar mixture)
  • Re-melting sugar mixture to salvage cinnamon oil
  • Difficulty in candy rolling process

Results

  • Successfully produced cinnamaldehyde through chemical processes
  • Cinnamon flavor confirmed through taste test
  • Created cinnamon heart candy, texture similar to Jolly Ranchers
  • Plans to refine candy-making skills in the future
  • Next project: More dangerous experiments like turning air into a bomb

Conclusion

  • Despite challenges, the project was a success
  • Achieved the goal of turning Styrofoam into edible cinnamon candy
  • Future content to be available on Nebula

Additional Notes

  • Nebula platform: Ad-free content, early access to videos, exclusive projects not suited for YouTube
  • Supported by Patreon, offering early access and exclusive videos to patrons