Home > Community > What is inhibiting polystyrene's ability to dissolve in traditional solvents like ethanol or acetone?
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Neil Farbstein

What is inhibiting polystyrene's ability to dissolve in traditional solvents like ethanol or acetone?

Bill Bigos  Follow

Polystyrene is soluble in acetone, MEK and other ketones, but solubility and the speed with which it dissolves depends, in part, on the molecular mass of the polymer.

If the solvent diffuses very slowly into the polystyrene, only the surface will appear to be affected. Applying a bit of energy with heat or mechanical crushing of the plastic greatly speeds the action of the solvent.

For more technical information, see Solubility Parameters: Theory and Application.

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David Bell  Follow

Have you considered monoterpenes as polystyrene solvents? Have a look at:

Shikata et al. (2011) Dissolution of polystyrene into cyclic monoterpenes present in tree essential oils. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 13(2):127-130

Gutiérrez et al. (2012) Recycling of extruded polystyrene wastes by dissolution and supercritical CO2 technology. Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management 14(4):308-316.

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Gary Fahrenkline  Follow
it would be preferableMore
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Dukula Jayasinghe  Follow
to include the essential parts of the answer here, and provide the link for reference.More
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Harpo Mason  Follow
Welcome to Chemistry! Whilst this may theoretically answer the question, More
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