Why Super Glue Is Perfect For Gluing Skin

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A heartfelt thank you to Dr. Allison Christy and Dr. John Bobo for their invaluable expertise, fresh perspectives, and explanations.
Thank you to Emily Von Stein and Chris Masahiro at Aron Alpha, Dr. Chantelle Champagne, and Dr. Rohit Gupta for their time and contributions to the initial research that laid the groundwork for this project.

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ANIMATION CORRECTION:
At 4:52, the negative charge should be drawn on the carbon at the end of the chain, not on the second to last carbon. This also holds during the polymerization process (5:15), where the negative charge should move right to the end of the chain.

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0:00 The Invention of Super Glue
2:43 How Does Super Glue Work?
5:38 How To Get Superglue Off Your Skin
8:33 Why Is Super Glue So Strong?
12:00 Why Doesn’t Super Glue Work on plastic?
13:45 Mixing Super Glue and Baking Soda
15:30 Using Super Glue Underwater
15:59 Super Glue On Wounds
19:47 A Solution To Microplastics?

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References and Credits:


Dr. Harry Coover Jr. (Nov 2023) via Sutori - https://ve42.co/sutori
Allison Christy, Closed-loop recyclable plastics from poly(ethyl cyanoacrylate) - https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adg2295
About Cyanoacrylate Adhesives. via Permabond - https://ve42.co/permab
Kodak Eastman In Wikipedia - https://ve42.co/kodakw
Harry Coover and the Invention of Super Glue. (Mar 2022) via SciHi Blog - https://ve42.co/scihio
Humphrey Sam Samuel (May 2024). Cyanoacrylate Chemistry and Polymerization Mechanisms. - https://ve42.co/pcbioc
Radical polymerization.. In Wikipedia - https://ve42.co/wikira
Overview of materials for Cyanoacrylate Adhesive. via MATWEBb - https://ve42.co/matweb
United States Patent Office: US2776232. (Jan 1957) via US patent office - https://ve42.co/patentb
Medical Grade Cyanoacrylate Adhesive Market Size Growth Report. (Nov 2024) via Linkedin - https://ve42.co/linkpu
Science Channel. (Dec 2017). Think Super Glue Can Lift A Pickup Truck? via Youtube - https://ve42.co/ytbpee
Loctite & Teroson UK. (Apr 2023). Learn How Loctite SF 7452 Can Accelerate Bonding When using Loctite 454 via Youtube - https://ve42.co/loctiteg

Image and Video Credits
LOCTITE® North America. (May 2017). Loctite 4902FL Highly Flexible Cyanoacrylate via Youtube - https://ve42.co/loctitef
The Gorilla Glue Company. (May 2021). How To Use Gorilla Super Glue via Youtube - https://ve42.co/gluehowt
Flex Seal. (Nov 2022). Flex Super Glue Commercial - The Flex Seal Family of Products via Youtube - https://ve42.co/flexglue
ewjxn. (Nov 2020). 1984 Instant Krazy Glue Strong enough to hold this woman TV Commercial.mp4 via Youtube - https://ve42.co/krazyglue
tvdays. (Nov 2007). ELMERS GLUE 1960.mp4 via Youtube - https://ve42.co/elmer
Aron Alpha Industrial Krazy Glue. (Feb 2024). The Leader in High Performance Instant Adhesives via Youtube - https://ve42.co/aronalpha
How researchers turned superglue into a cheap plastic alternative by via fastcompany - https://ve42.co/superplastic
Woman Mistakenly Uses Glue Instead Of Eye Drops by via CBS News - https://ve42.co/eyegludd

Further References: https://ve42.co/refsuperglue


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Directed by Sulli Yost
Written by Sulli Yost and Derek Muller
Edited by Peter Nelson
Assistant Editor - James Stuart
Illustrated by Jakub Misiek and Caine Esperanza
Animated by Emma Wright, Andrew Neet and Fabio Albertelli
Filmed and demos done by Sulli Yost, Derek Muller and Wylie Overstreet
Additional research by Geeta Thakur
Produced by Sulli Yost, Derek Muller, Rob Beasley Spence and Tori Brittain
Thumbnail contributions by Ren Hurley, Peter Sheppard, Ben Powell
Additional video/photos supplied by Getty Images, Storyblocks
Music from Epidemic Sound and Jonny Hyman