My watch list
my.chemeurope.com  
Login  

The Chemistry of Superglue

Sticky Science

29-Jun-2016

© Compound Interest

The Chemistry of Superglue

Superglue is an incredibly useful invention, allowing us to repair all manner of objects. However, it nearly wasn’t invented at all! Here’s a quick look at the story of superglue, and, more importantly, the chemistry that allows it to do its job.

Superglue was initially discovered by accident. Dr Harry Coover, a researcher at Kodak laboratories, was trying to develop clearer plastics for use as gunsights during the Second World War when he stumbled across cyanoacrylates, the class of chemicals used in superglue. However, due to their tendency to stick to absolutely anything, they were discarded as useless.

Topics
  • glues
  • cyanoacrylates
  • van der Waals forces
  • 2-octyl cyanoacrylate
  • superglue
  • methyl cyanoacrylate
  • ethyl cyanoacrylate
More about Compound Interest
  • Infographics

    2018’s biggest science stories

    As we head into 2019, it’s time to take a look back at some of the biggest science news stories over the past year. This year’s science news featured water on Mars, the effects of e-cigarettes, new types of isomerism and bonding, and more! 2018 saw a number of significant discoveries in sci ... more

    Unleashing our immune systems against cancer

    The first of the 2018 Nobel Prizes is awarded. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of cancer therapy by stimulating the immune system to attack tumour cells. This graphic takes a look at the prize-winning research. more

    The creation of tools made from laser light

    After the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded, it is physics' turn. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Morou and Donna Strickland for their pioneering innovations in the field of laser physics. Strickland is only the third woman to recei ... more

Your browser is not current. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 does not support some functions on Chemie.DE