​​What Solvent is used in Permanent Marker?

 Physical:

Permanent, washable, and dry erase markers all have the same physical properties. The components of a marker are the marker body, cap, tip, reservoir that holds the ink and the ink itself. 

The body and cap are made from plastic resin and the reservoir that absorbs and holds the ink is made from polyester. The tip that is used to write is most commonly made from felt in all of the markers. The felt is made from a powder and water mixture. 

Chemical:

The four base ingredients in the creation of ink are water, additives, solvent and preservatives. The solvent differs in each type of marker while the other ingredients remain constant. 

Permanent markers use toluene and xylene in their solvent which give the markers their ability to leave long lasting marks. Washable markers use alcohols such as 1-propanol, 1-butanol, diacetone alcohol and cresols in their solvent. 



Dry erase markers use the same solvent as permanent markers but add a different polymer.



The difference between a permanent and a dry erase marker is small. A dry-erase marker is a permanent marker on any porous surface, like paper. 


Slick surfaces such as glass and whiteboards cause the marker to be easily "erased". 

The difference lies in which polymer is used in the ink. Most permanent markers use acrylic polymers while dry-erase markers use an oily silicone polymer. 

Toluene and xylene are not used as solvents in washable markers due to their toxic and harmful nature but permanent markers still use the chemicals to make their non-removable ink. Washable markers now use safer chemicals for solvents such as cyclic alkylene carbonates.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

​​How does a Musical Water Fountain Works?

Image
A Musical Fountain, also known as a dancing fountain, is a type of animated fountain for entertainment purposes that creates an aesthetic design (including three-dimensional images). This is achieved by employing the effects of timed sound waves and timed light (including laser) against water particles.  Modern-day fountains employ a computer-controlled pneumatic arrangement, essentially a pressurized cylinder of water with the provision of an expulsion mechanism(like a piston) and a nozzle at the outlet that is programmed to squirt water with a specific force for a specific duration while the computer also manages the audio output. The circulation system is also modernized with the help of pressure sensors and pumps to maintain continuity.  Old school fountains used the principle of siphoning to maintain continuity where the water level was maintained slightly above the height of the canons that squirted water such that any drop in water level resulted in a siphoning suction ...
Read more

​​What is an Auxanometer? How does it Work?

Image
An auxanometer is an apparatus for measuring increase or rate of growth in plants.  In case of an arc-auxanometer, there is a wire fixed with the plant apex on one end and a dead-weight on the other. It passes over a pulley which has a pointer attached to it.   When the plant's height increases, the pulley rotates and the pointer moves on a circular scale to directly give the magnitude of growth. The "rate of growth" is a derived measurement obtained by dividing the length of growth measured by the auxanometer, by the time said measurement took. Sensitive auxanometers allow measurement of growth as small as a micrometer, which allows measurement of growth in response to short-term changes in atmospheric composition. Auxanometers are used in the laboratory, the field, and the classroom. Koningsberger invented the auxanometer.
Read more

​​Why do we Hiccup?

Image
Hiccups can be annoying but they’re usually short-lived. However, some people may experience recurrent episodes of persistent hiccups. At its most basic, a hiccup is a reflex. It happens when a sudden contraction of your diaphragm causes the muscles of your chest and abdomen to shake. Then, the glottis, or the part of your throat where your vocal cords are located, closes.  This creates the noise of air expelled from your lungs or the “hic” sound that feels involuntary with hiccups. If you find yourself getting hiccups often, eating smaller meals and minimizing carbonated beverages and gassy foods might be helpful.
Read more