Turning styrofoam into cinnamon candy
NileRed・46 minutes read
A video sponsored by Nebula demonstrates the process of turning styrofoam into cinnamon candy through a series of steps involving chemical reactions and distillation. The individual successfully creates homemade cinnamon Hearts candy using the transformed substance, leading to plans for future candy-making projects on Nebula, a video streaming service supporting creators.
Insights
- Styrofoam can be transformed into cinnamon candy by breaking it down into styrene, a chemical similar to the one found in cinnamon, through a detailed process involving dissolution, drying, blending, and distillation.
- Despite challenges, the individual successfully created cinnamon Hearts candy from styrofoam, showcasing the potential for innovative recycling methods and the importance of attention to detail in achieving unique outcomes.
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Recent questions
How is styrofoam transformed into cinnamon candy?
Styrofoam cups are dissolved in acetone to remove air, dried, and blended into a powder. The powder is heated with a catalyst to break down polystyrene into styrene, which is collected as a yellow liquid. The liquid is cleaned, distilled, and purified to create nearly pure styrene. This styrene is then used to create cinnamon flavor for the candy.
What is the key chemical involved in the transformation process?
Styrene, the chemical in cinnamon, is the key to the transformation process. Styrofoam is broken down into styrene, which is then used to create the cinnamon flavor for the candy.
What challenges were faced during the candy-making process?
Challenges during the candy-making process included difficulties in shaping the candy using a customized machine, resulting in a chunky texture. A remelting process with added water and corn syrup was needed to salvage the cinnamon oil. Despite these challenges, the individual was able to successfully shape the candy into cinnamon Hearts.
What was the outcome of the taste test for the cinnamon candy?
After confirming the substance to be cinam alahh through tests, the individual proceeded to taste it, noting its pleasant cinnamon flavor. The candies turned out to have the exact flavor desired, being mild and not overly cinnamon-flavored, although unexpectedly chewy instead of crunchy like typical cinnamon candies.
What is Nebula and how does it support creators?
Nebula is a creator-owned video streaming service that offers early access to videos, including content not suitable for YouTube. It supports creators by providing exclusive content for a subscription fee of $2.50 per month, with a portion directly supporting the individual's channel.
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Summary
00:00
Transforming Styrofoam into Cinnamon Candy Flavor
- The video is sponsored by Nebula and showcases the transformation of inedible items into food, such as plastic gloves into hot sauce and paint thinner into Cherry Soda.
- The goal is to turn styrofoam into cinnamon candy, as styrofoam is made from polystyrene, which is similar to the chemical in cinnamon.
- Styrene, the chemical in cinnamon, is the key to the transformation, and the plan involves breaking down styrofoam into styrene to create cinnamon flavor.
- To start, styrofoam cups are dissolved in acetone to remove air, reducing the volume by 95%.
- The dissolved polystyrene is dried out to remove acetone, resulting in dry chunks that are then blended into a powder.
- The powder is heated with magnesium oxide as a catalyst to break down the polystyrene into styrene, which is collected as a yellow liquid.
- The yellow liquid is cleaned using sodium sulfate to remove impurities and distilled to separate styrene, resulting in colorless liquid drops.
- The distillation process reaches a temperature of 142°C, close to the boiling point of styrene, indicating successful transformation.
- The final product is a clear liquid that is nearly pure styrene, ready to be used to create cinnamon flavor for the candy.
- The process involves careful steps and attention to detail to achieve the desired outcome of turning styrofoam into cinnamon candy.
15:41
Styrene Purification and Cinnamon Flavor Synthesis
- Used pure styrene in a flask, added four turb catacol to stabilize it.
- Distilled styrene over 30 minutes, monitored temperature rise to indicate completion.
- Conducted tests (FTI and hnmr) to confirm pure styrene.
- Discovered styrene was close to cinnamon flavor, needed VME Hawk reaction.
- Prepared reaction with dimethyl formamide and phosphorus oxychloride.
- Controlled addition of phosphorus oxychloride to prevent overheating.
- Observed reaction, intermediate formation, and color changes.
- Heated reaction to 55°C, monitored color changes and reaction progress.
- Cooled reaction, added sodium acetate solution to form cinam alahh.
- Purified cinam alahh through extraction with diethyl ether and water washes.
31:00
Creating Homemade Cinnamon Hearts Candy: A Journey
- The individual decided to conduct another distillation, transferring the substance to a smaller flask and setting up a more complex apparatus with three flasks and a vacuum line.
- The process involved heating the substance under a vacuum, with the boiling point of the desired compound, cinam alahh, expected to be lower than its normal temperature.
- Despite challenges in predicting the boiling point accurately due to the vacuum, the distillation process continued until a yellow oil, potentially cinam alahh, was collected.
- To ensure purity, the individual set up a new distillation apparatus to further purify the substance, collecting a less yellow oil in the process.
- After confirming the substance to be cinam alahh through tests, the individual proceeded to taste it, noting its pleasant cinnamon flavor.
- Moving on to candy-making, the individual invested in a customized candy-making machine with heart-shaped rollers to create cinnamon Hearts.
- Following a specific recipe, the individual prepared a sugar mixture, heating it to the hard crack stage and adding cinnamon oil and red dye for flavor and color.
- The attempt to shape the candy using the machine failed, resulting in a chunky texture, prompting a remelting process with added water and corn syrup to salvage the cinnamon oil.
- The remelting process was successful, resulting in a gooey sugar mixture that was shaped into cinnamon Hearts using the machine, although the process was challenging and yielded imperfect results.
- The final step involved coating the candies with sugar to achieve the desired classic appearance, completing the process of making homemade cinnamon Hearts candy.
47:19
Successful Cinnamon Candy Project Leads to Nebula
- The individual worked on a project for months, creating cinnamon candies that turned out to have the exact flavor desired, being mild and not overly cinnamon-flavored. However, the candies were unexpectedly chewy instead of crunchy like typical cinnamon candies.
- Despite lacking candy-making skills, the project was deemed a success as old styrofoam cups were transformed into satisfactory cinnamon candies. Future candy-making projects are planned, but a break will be taken to focus on other endeavors.
- The individual is now part of Nebula, a creator-owned video streaming service, and will offer early access to videos, including content not suitable for YouTube. Nebula supports creators and offers exclusive content for a subscription fee of $2.50 per month, with a portion directly supporting the individual's channel.
