Turning paper into plastic

[@BobbyDukeArts]

I don't think I've watched a single video of yours that I didn't like, and I've watched almost every single one. So thank you for keeping me entertained with the wonders of chemistry!

[@kevinyuan5343]

Bobby! What are YOU doing here?!??? Btw I'm a BIGGG fan of urs

[@davidlarroya]

@@kevinyuan5343 ok

[@kevinyuan5343]

@Ava Conroy OMG YESSSSS HOW DID I NOT THINK IF THAT?!?!?!!!

[@davidlarroya]

@Ava Conroy *wewd*

[@dogeggs3961]

Wewd

[@buffal0008]

I don't know what he's talking about, *but I love watching this*

[@alyssashih2895]

Oml this is me

[@berriee7848]

I still didn't learn these things yet so same hehe

[@Daisy_Darkly]

I don't understand a lot either but it's so interesting! Sometimes I Google around but that's frequently a rabbit hole

[@crystalking2468]

same

[@entirelybonkers8832]

I listen to these to go to sleep because I don’t understand the words but they aren’t like scary words

[@kittyloveluvkitty7306]

I love how he does it like a tutorial, even tho most likely none of us have the knowledge or supplies to do this correctly

[@oliverkibbe860]

you remember how you had to explain the process in lab reports?

[@oiytd5wugho]

more like lab reports sound like tutorials

[@skinwalker69420]

​@@oliverkibbe860 I'm pretty sure most of NileRed's viewers haven't even gotten to a high school level of chemistry, and I never had to write a single lab report in a chemistry class.

[@some69person]

Supplies lol, its just paper, concentrated vinegar and drain cleaner

[@EmeraldForester777]

@@skinwalker69420that's why he's the professional chemist and you are not

[@sygnet2335]

I love how he’s like “if you have any idea on how to solve this problem put it in the comments”. Idk about you but I came here to enjoy a man work science beyond what I can understand

[@justarandomsadperson]

I wonder why don't you have more likes your comment is actually funnier then the rest..😂

[@lasagnahog7695]

I wandered down here to see if anyone had a suggestion. Nope.

[@kyon-kyon-]

i actually think it’s pretty neat that nile asks for his viewers’ ideas. goes to show he doesn’t think he knows better than everyone

[@-Solidwater]

@@kyon-kyon- The thing is that he knows better than most of us.

[@mrgreen3028]

@@kyon-kyon- its to generate comment traffic.

[@thechessfish]

“So just to be safe, I transferred it to a much larger container.” HE LEARNS!!! 🙌👏🙌👏

[@sohamsengupta6470]

This was the exception, sadly

[@jayashreelaxmekuppuswami8600]

I guess we all became invested into his works so much ...that we just started to look out for the fellow and his growth.....it's kinda sweet....

[@masondipperpines5009]

I read that when he said it

[@aayushpaswan2941]

intresting fun fact:- kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3rWZKeeZZaBjJI

[@aayushpaswan2941]

intresting fun fact:- kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3rWZKeeZZaBjJI

[@feenie4888]

nilered is always there for me when i get struck w/ periods of insomnia. entertaining, informative, and narrated with a very calm voice. perfect for late night watching

[@ant0n-yt]

*Everyone Else:* we need to be able to break down plastics *NileRed:* Turning Paper to Plastic

[@CarThings]

AntonMacG 😂

[@duskycotw8404]

you drink water?

[@ant0n-yt]

@@duskycotw8404 never have, never will. why?

[@duskycotw8404]

@@ant0n-yt idk its just ive always questioned what water is and if people in the old days had it and if they did how di d they filter it?

[@ant0n-yt]

@@duskycotw8404 they probably filtered it through their socks

[@tekashto]

Cashier: Paper or plastic? NileRed: Yes.

[@luckybookairvids]

winner

[@miamama9776]

😂😂😂😂😂

[@daviddow5591]

Perfect

[@ExplizitDuester]

:D

[@galacticgaming5058]

You win

[@craigenguess326]

this guy makes the best videos to fall asleep too bc his voice is so pleasant and he won’t wake you up with random loud noises

[@Moritz___]

*hammer hits*

[@hakimskikdy]

I thought I was the only one sleeping to chemistry videos

[@Atetrigrams]

@@Moritz___But that’s usually Nileblue

[@nilnileer]

And the way he pronounces is kinda cute ngl.

[@janetmendoza8861]

In high school I used to fall asleep in my chemistry class…now I can relive it…but I enjoy it…love your videos Nigel ❤

[@HamrickCE]

Remember talking about photography? The cellulose in wood is 40% while the cellulose in cotton is 90%... which is why cotton is used for wet plate photography. Try again with cotton and see if it changes your impurity problems. When I worked with collodion for wet plate photography the collodion was slightly yellow but was more "plastic" in nature. Hope this helps since I'm not a chemist but experienced in one of these 2 forms of chemistry.

[@Knasen3]

HamrickCE The cellulose in wood is 40 %, yes. Filter paper is completely ash free and I would guess it's above 96 % cellulose, the rest being hemicellulose.

[@MrCreeper1O2]

HamrickCE This is what I was thinking. Impurities in the paper of not being completely cellulose

[@alllove1754]

I did similar with nitration of cellulose rich paper, but with nitric acid, then acetone, making a putty which would dry into a dirty white plastic, which of course burns w a quickness

[@h4d266]

HamrickCE what the fuck did you say

[@erickmark2]

@@h4d266 I think its science?

[@elburd]

I just got 10 brain cells by watching this.

[@capncrunchgaming5613]

@@danielliu2382 damn, you really just killed him like that, didn't you?

[@zhianxu7992]

I think I lost ten...

[@1.4142]

ERROR: SYNTAX divide by 0 calculator.exe has stopped working.

[@sleepyghostisme7558]

Wait wait wait. Jesus was just here, where did he go?

[@stevenwhite3.1415]

So now you have 10 total?

[@seanedging6543]

Grocery store: "Paper or plastic?" NileRed: "Hold my 80% acetic acid"

[@1personithink]

Ha

[@haripushparangoli]

Ha

[@Atomic-Purple-Guy]

Ha

[@starlingwessel7937]

Ha

[@dogedog2447]

Ha

[@snowpikachu4364]

Great, *now let’s do that backwards*

[@tovunguyentrang07]

That's exactly what I'm thinking

[@watema3381]

you two have *big brains*

[@watema3381]

respecc

[@jackwilson2634]

Yas

[@MRFLY513]

ಠ_ʖಠ

[@nitishkr6535]

Hey NileRed, while drying out the acetone of cellulose acetate, try adding diluted sodium hydroxide mixture and heat dry (temperature between 30 - 40 degree Celsius) them and you will get great cellulose acetate film and highly flexible too. If you are uptown doing it again and have any results please let me know. Reason: Removal of few more acetyl groups and allowing the cellulose polymerise evenly as well as the sodium hydroxide solution would reduce the contraction due to shock drying of acetone.

[@riskelshadowwalker7042]

@NileRed hope you saw/see this, please do it again and show us if this works 😅

[@jeconiahjoelmichaelsiregar7917]

NileRed 2018: Turning paper into plastic (sounds plausible) NileRed 2019: Turning paper into moonshine (???)

[@superlolgal555]

I love how this sounds like a meme but it's straight up not

[@geck2235]

021 - JJ - Sc'19 NileRed 2030: Turning paper into Ur-235 NileRed 2031: Making nukes

[@桂堂]

NileRed 2020: tuning moonshine into plastic

[@akio5250]

This aged I guess

[@dylansheaves4743]

Nile red 2020: turning face masks into meat?

[@goodvibes4891]

Expected clickbait, actually found an educated man who is a great explainer. Noicee

[@wrentheelf2656]

You're obviously new to this channel

[@yasyasmarangoz3577]

@redxpen xD wtf

[@dphorgan]

Ya. The kid knows his shit...

[@flop5041]

A chemist? Perhaps?

[@drsolo7]

He has done...*exciting* things before

[@flymachine]

Can’t wait for you to redo this one, probably one of the least gratifying results but we have to appreciate the time and effort you put into showing not just your successes but failures too

[@andreiato]

Next video: turning water into wine

[@unitedspacepirates9075]

Wine to water, with special filtration systems

[@baguette9758]

chemist jesus

[@alexandragatto]

When you think about it ALL vintners turn water (+ grapes) into wine

[@JJRage420]

Watch "toilet paper into moon shine"🤣🤣🤣

[@OtavioFesoares]

Juat add grapes and yeast

[@B4WZeR]

i dont know how i always end up here in the middle of the night anyways, enjoying my stay, seen most of the vids now

[@nikkiofthevalley]

Yea, me too..

[@gavinheath3094]

Pyro yeah even me

[@Extrimty_yt]

Me 2

[@konrad8509]

We are all in this together

[@coolpaint183]

in the middle of the night~ You predicted the song ehe

[@VintageTechFan]

10:15 .. That shrinking effect is used in covering RC airplanes with paper or silk (and also for real airplanes with cloth covering!). You paint the paper with a laquer made of it, as it dries it sticks to the structure and tightens very well. The forces can be strong enough to BREAK the structure under it, if you use to much of it at once on a very light build. In this case, campher is used as a plasticizer. It also works with nitrocellulose and is sometimes still done, because it also greatly improves the flammability if you want to burn your plane after a bad crash. So, if you still try to make it again, maybe try campher. Don't have any idea about the relative amount needed, though.

[@rosewinter4818]

At first I thought he said acidic acid and I was like "no really?"

[@lifeonfire2390]

Acetic acid sounds like acidic acid

[@candysweets6647]

I .......just heard that while looking at this comment, but yeah, sounds like something I would do

[@youssefefram6371]

@@candysweets6647 me too!!

[@unknownsauce69]

6:56

[@ellenorbjornsdottir1166]

ethanoic

[@tarostartic8833]

i fail to understand how im failing high school science yet could spend hours binging these videos...

[@ActuallyRocatex]

ditto

[@eliannevdlinden6047]

the educational system isn't for everyone, don't let it discourage you! My brother is super smart and is always doing this kind of stuff, he didn't finish school either. As for me it is kinda the same, I like this kind of stuff but I'm very bad at math, I went to art school and frankly it's so much more fun! Do what makes you happy, you can learn school subjects you really enjoy via books. And you can filter out the boring stuff too.

[@kennethstreet7868]

Delivery and setting

[@LolLol-hk4cv]

Better not pursue any further

[@leonardopessanha5128]

It's because what you have here is just an apresentation, I highly doubt you had learned anything. You didn't see the calculation, didn't really learned how the reaction works and how to predict some reaction. This is why you binge this, is nothing more than this, binge

[@clertucky1]

Me in 2050 watching this dude turn water into wine because you can be intoxicated by water

[@phaniemarie83]

I started college last week for pre-nursing and was thrilled that I could understand the biochemistry portion of A&P a little better because of your videos. Thank you so much!! I’ve been subscribed to your channel for well over a year, maybe even two. I’m not a chemist, I’m just genuinely interested in your content- you’re a great teacher to boot.

[@chazmichaelmichaels88]

Sooooo, have you graduated?

[@alexc8992]

Cashier: We don’t take cash here. NileRed: give me a minute

[@omegagamer1860]

Alex C i under stood this and that made my day

[@solfindus]

Omega Gamer i didnt what’s the joke?

[@DavidL-qb8cl]

@@solfindus the joke is that he would turn his plastic shopping bags into dollar bills to pay

[@mahirooyama9424]

The joke is he would take his cash and turn it into plastic

[@mahirooyama9424]

But money isnt made of paper so it doesnt really work out.

[@gianlucatartaro1335]

Instructions unclear. Accidentally turned a plastic spoon into The Declaration of Independence.

[@zeguyy]

People: we *need* to ban plastics! It’s killing the world! Nilered: *hold my chromyl chloride!*

[@javiernunez6566]

i have watched like 20 videos of you, i still don't understand a single one nor learning nothing but it keeps me entertained so thank you for that! and please keep making videos

[@randy25rhoads]

My old celluloid fountain pens are terrified of you and your solvents…

[@liettemaccoul162]

Everyone: we need to start using paper straws! This guy: cheats the system

[@berriee7848]

Hehe

[@athendavis100]

OK BUT THATS SMART I hate paper straws

[@lil_weasel219]

@@athendavis100 buy metal ones. plastic cutting into wildlife's noses and organs cus humans "dont like paper ones" is unethical max

[@n2k970]

It's the fox! u rather have the (relatively) small amount of animals dying from plastic (which is a LOT less than the amount hunted/killed from other causes) or kill the earth with the 100x more pollution from paper straws? Personally I’d rather save the planet and save 99.99% of animals as opposed to 0.01%. Not sure about metal straws, though I assume they also cause a lot of pollution.

[@lil_weasel219]

@@n2k970 metal straws dont pollute. they are inert and heavy, and sink to the sea floor. Animals dont eat it. Please, for the love of everything start Ecology 101

[@clapclapno]

To wash out the acid I would wash it with methanol or ethanol instead of water (or maybe a different solvent). You could also just soxhlet extract it overnight with an organic solvent. It might give you a drier polymer to work with and ensure you don’t have any moisture in your films. To extrude it into fiber, you should look up some videos on processing with thermoplastics since that’s the kind of polymer it is. Also, when casting your films you might want to try a different solvent and since you’re able to adjust the viscosity of the liquid before drying, you could try to spread it evenly across a glass plate. Then flow nitrogen over it to slowly dry the film.

[@carlygarris4449]

I’m beyond clueless about this, but I feel smart watching this

[@OptimusPhillip]

The butterfly broke easily, but the ladybug put up quite a fight. The new season of Miraculous is getting pretty intense.

[@thepathogenicruler1399]

I love Miraculous!

[@sylvie_on]

Ayyyyyyyyy

[@unoriginalhazard]

Jesus christ, never thought I'd see a MLB reference here.

[@OptimusPhillip]

@@jenisdauncle _Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir_ (commonly called _Miraculous_ or _Miraculous Ladybug_ for short) is a French cartoon about two superheroes, Ladybug and Cat Noir, who fight against a butterfly-themed supervillain.

[@Elijahbanta]

@@OptimusPhillip i believe its a moth themed guy

[@doggo1761]

Anything with Cellulose in it: Exists NileRed: I CAN HARVEST YOU

[@darkscienceyt]

This was very cool, I had no idea about this process too.

[@246-trinitromethylbenzene8]

Questions for Science You here?Nice!

[@NileRed]

Glad you liked it!

[@anthonygrow1482]

@@NileRed big brain

[@aayushpaswan2941]

intresting fun fact:- kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3rWZKeeZZaBjJI

[@TigreDemon]

Her : "Can you get me the plastic bag ?" *NileRed handing a paper bag*

[@mariarashid3677]

lol

[@Milkman7444]

Corporate needs you to find the difference between this picture and this picture. Nilered looking at a paper and plastic bag: *they're the same picture.*

[@star.am-a]

SO glad I discovered you like a year ago, like watched older video's like this back then and got me curious about chemistry, and I kept watching, and watched other creators too, but today as I ate lunch decided to watch this video and surprised by how much I do understand(a lot I still don't), but I'm not lost anymore and following along with the entire project.

[@kaylynhandley1920]

Imagine doing this for a 6th grade science fair

[@asahearts1]

They wouldn't let you use acids or glass lest you accidentally cut yourself or eat it or something.

[@mystaplays3569]

@@asahearts1 um sixth grade is relatively high enough to know all those I believe

[@asahearts1]

@@mystaplays3569 That's the point. The education system treats even 17 and 18 year olds like toddlers. They're never made to take responsibility or grow up. Heck, even college students are infantilized. Makes for easier to control sheep.

[@thebros4907]

It only takes 4 days for you to finish you project

[@aviralsood8141]

@@asahearts1 Someone has an out of control superiority complex.

[@kptech4028]

"[It] wasn't very strong, and with a bit of force, I was able to crack it into several pieces." - NileRed, the Martial arts master

[@joegru7280]

nile i need you. chemistry at 1 am is fascinating, your youtube channel is the best keep it up

[@isathegeat4828]

Next video: *Turning lead into gold like an alchemist*

[@pestilence.and.plague]

Well, theoretically, it can be done, although just a small area will be converted and it will be very costly.

[@rainbow_angel8225]

@@pestilence.and.plague sell the gold to make more money

[@RepublikSivizien]

Try cotton, because the molecules in paper are shorter due to processing. It should be more stable with longer molecules. You could add just a bit of this solution to the mold, wait some minutes and repeat this, so the object does not shrink too much. EDIT: I guess this brown-stuff may be because of lignin, which is present in paper (but afaik not in cotton).

[@HattmannenNilsson]

I was thinking the same thing. Periodically adding plastic to the moulds to compensate for the contraction. Another thought that struck me was to put the mould on a vibrating bed to encourage any air bubbles to wander out of the goo. Sort of the same thing you do when pouring concrete - you vibrate the wet concrete to get the air bubbled to migrate to the top so you don't end up with a voids that make the finished product more brittle. I might be completely off on this one, though. There's lots of things I know nothing about. Moulding cellulose acetate is just one of them.

[@RyanDB]

I don't imagine that would work very well, You'd end up with structural defects throughout the moulded piece, and it would probably come out very clouded as the defects scattered light

[@RepublikSivizien]

thats true, but still better than this ugly formed crap.

[@groupraitodigital9784]

In order to mix it properly, u have to break it down. Cotton wont help. U will have to break cotton into paper eventually.

[@heylee2766]

thanks rainbow dash

[@pkverma581]

Alternative title : *Scientist man uses trees to harm the earth itself.*

[@TheWorldPillow]

Actually, I think this type of plastic might be more easily reversible than most plastics, to get rid of the acetate and again convert it into a biodegradable cellulose product. Besides, the actual point of doing bio-based plastics is not necessarily to deal with the waste product, but to meet the demand for plastics in a more renewably /sourced/ way -- trees can grow again, but most plastics currently are made of petroleum products, which cannot be renewed. So it's a step in the right direction. Plus, as plastic recycling grows and becomes more standardized, the dream is that the created plastics can be recycled and reused a lot before going to waste. That required consumer participation though and good collection facilities. And I think for handling the end-of-life waste streams of plastic, there's also a lot of research being done into how to convert plastics back into biodegradable materials (i.e. better able to dissolve in water and be eaten by bacteria). Right now, I believe it's just so energy-intensive that it's not economically or environmentally really worth it, but as time goes on, the research will improve. Efforts are already definitely being made in this direction. The creation of plastic itself is not evil; there's a reason why people use it so frequently and unless you can change the demand-side reasons for why plastic is so highly used everywhere, for now we're just trying to deal with how to better deal with renewably sourcing the material and also dealing with the end waste product. You can check out Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) techniques for more info on this.

[@johnshelton4753]

His videos give iq , in the sameway putting stickers on a racecar give horsepower , its just magic

[@FruitRooster]

The rock and morty of youtube

[@mrbappoo7430]

@@FruitRooster or the rick and mirty of KZbin

[@s1rensooong]

@J Hemphill it was obviously a joke dumbass

[@TheWorldPillow]

@@s1rensooong I think he was joking too, and had a fond memory of that Simpsons clip. People just do really strange things sometimes.

[@Bananamations]

@@s1rensooong it was obviously a joke dumbass

[@SuperBone1392]

Hiya! I don't know if you've re-visited this project, but if you did, then i would recommend trying to use Camphor as a plasticiser. That's typically what is used in making celluloid for fountain pens, which is what I was trying to learn by watching your video. Definitely have a good idea of where to begin.

[@adetisalooja4054]

Anyone else come here to sleep, don't get me wrong I love the science but his voice just relaxes me and puts me to sleep

[@hawks1ish]

If you’re worried about it being opaque go talk to a chemistry professor they’ll clear it right up lol

[@jakobygames]

Boooo get off the stage

[@hennyblanc01]

lmao

[@m3n4lyf]

I tried this. Terrible advice. He said that what I was doing was _clearly_ illegal, and that the outlook for my future was _cloudy_ .

[@corison2058]

Joshua Lansell-Kenny well played.

[@Claire_Aces]

Zed Smith we need a backstory 😭

[@Monjipour]

i'm working on actalisation and recognizing this reaction and the anhydrid hydrolysation made me more interested in my chemistry class x)

[@robertpowell2225]

They don't seem to use much of this kind of plastic anymore. But I remember it on donuts and things like this that were in a box. and I remember it was quite fragile even then very frustrating because your finger would go right through it and then your donuts would dry out. Great job keep up the good work!

[@cybruswolf9354]

California: ban plastic straws, they’re killing the turtles NileRed: I’m a boutta end this states whole career

[@creeperawman.9399]

Hi other me

[@m0rtez713]

Hello green friends!

[@demoniack81]

He doesn't randomly throw the plastic in the environment, unlike the sort of people who use lots of plastic straws.

[@Luciel.680]

demoniack81 Ok so I have to use plastic straws because my family can’t find metal or paper ones anywhere to buy but we recycle them responsibly and in the right way, would it be ok to keep on using them then?

[@demoniack81]

​@@Luciel.680 Well I guess mine was an over generalization, but there is definitely an issue with people getting fast food to eat on the go and then just discarding the trash somewhere instead of disposing of it properly. What I have to ask you though is: do you really even need the straw? Why not just drink from the glass?

[@Muonium1]

do a vid on how to turn lead into gold next.

[@darkscienceyt]

He's gonna need a reactor.

[@ericmueller6836]

Questions for Science That's for mercury to gold.

[@darkscienceyt]

you can convert lead into gold via beta decay. Which is why you'd need a reactor

[@Muonium1]

you can also do it with lead and bismuth. really pretty much any heavy metal would work, you just have to choose the correct ion beam to bombard it with to get to 79P ~118N.

[@Nae_Ayy]

It's easy. Just take the lead, add or remove the correct amount of protons, then BAM! Au everywhere.

[@stillderpy5048]

Checkout lady: paper or plastic Nile: yes.

[@DeeDee-ye5qe]

now do it in reverse

[@twocvbloke]

Seems you're basically making Tenite plastic, one version of which (Tenite Butyrate) was used for making telephone parts in the US, and today, said telephones smell like rotting cheese due to the plastic slowly breaking down and releasing a foot-odour type smell... :)

[@ObeyCamp]

That's interesting as hell. This is the kind of comment we need more of.

[@joelt4176]

very interesting video and i have also tried film is breaking is due to acetone if you dissolve cellulose acetate in DMF or DMSO you can get a good flexible film

[@noalear]

Please redo this with your current level of skill and experience. I'd love to see the improvement!

[@JACE__111]

drinking game: drink one shot of vodka every time he says cellulose

[@masonwilliamson5388]

You’re being charged with murder lol

[@runes5407]

Sorry, I value my life

[@sanatjain4670]

the vodka must be made from toilet paper

[@chloehubbell0508]

i always fall asleep to this. better than anything else

[@pauliefox2077]

"Would you like paper or plastic?" "Yes."

[@ilostsomebody4143]

did you know you can turn plastic into rubber and rubber into tar and tar into acid and the acid into a diy chem bomb and that means paper is just a bomb in the shadows

[@U014B]

Maybe try it with wood dust instead of paper? I imagine you'd get a purer sample of cellulose since it doesn't have all the stuff put into paper. (Perhaps even the lignin will help hold everything together and make it stronger?) Ooh, even better, make papyrus and use that!

[@robertf1720]

Hey friend -- I worked at a cellulose film factory for awhile in Topeka, KS. They used the carbon disulfide route for biodegradable packaging film. Space-age technology developed in the early 1900s, there used to be hundreds of engineers who spent their life on this in the 1950s-1980s, then polyester and polyethylene erased their factories. We had to look at notes from that era to troubleshoot complex chemistry issues on a high-speed production line

[@Blalack77]

Maybe you could do a series called something like "Alchemy" where you do crazy transformations and turn things into other things like in this video or maybe one on chemistry projects/experiments that can be done with readily available household ingredients/equipment.

[@ender1242]

*Isn't this the opposite of recycling?*

[@kilometersmatt2938]

Cashier: Paper or plastic? Nile: Yes

[@spookyman5ever]

everyone: * does this* environment: am i a joke to you? wait no support teamtrees

[@DimT670]

Yea the fun part about bioplastics is that they aren't all biodegradable so it's really not that good for the environment or the waste cycle. Some of them aren't even recyclable!

[@z9nc982]

Shadow Gamer its better to have them decompose because if they dont then they will float around indefinitely, slowly leaching/outgassing toxins

[@TheWorldPillow]

@@DimT670 The major point about bioplastics is actually not the end-of-life but instead the sourcing. Currently plastics are largely made via petroleum-sourced products, so they are doubly bad since they are neither renewable sourced nor are the products well biodegradable when they go to landfill. Bioplastics at least are renewably sourced, since trees can be regrown and are a very efficient way of extracting cellulose (and foresting companies, to my understanding, are increasingly trying to manage their land and replanting of trees; it's only in their long-term benefit as well, especially given all the PR about being eco-friendly and the slow death of traditional mass paper products like... paper). Since this doesn't change the demand for plastics at all, it's reasonable to at least try to improve one part of the plastic life cycle to make it more environmentally friendly. There's also been a lot of research into not just using trees for cellulose extraction, but also many other alternate fibers like wheat straw residues (typically a waste product), elephant grass, hemp, sugar cane, bamboo, etc. -- many of which have their own problems and are not typically as convenient as trees, but still also a very renewable resource that grow faster than trees. But yeah, it's true that the waste side/end-of-life of these bioplastics needs to be dealt with better. I think there's a ton of research being done into that. For example in this case I think the plastics he was making would be very chemically reversible; you just need to continue the steps he did for turning the triacetate version into the diacetate version, and then it's normal cellulose again that can be dissolved real easy. But a lot of the more effective and in use bioplastics don't have such an easy reversing mechanism. It's a lot of case-by-case analysis and trying to figure out what's both economically and environmentally effective. You can learn more about Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) for more info. :) (And of course, btw, these aren't the only research efforts being made -- there's a ton of people in universities and even in some companies trying to target specific areas of paper product production or cellulose usage to make them more efficient, which in turn also makes them more environmentally friendly. If you want to listen to me ramble on I can list some of them here too.)

[@TheWorldPillow]

Here's also a good article on the clearing of trees and the different ways its done and why: www.canr.msu.edu/news/timber_harvest_methods It's not always done perfectly and there can be a lot of sloppy practices in practice, I think, but generally it's getting better and there are a lot of smart ways to go about it. Note: I especially kind of liked the article's point of sort clearcutting (just chopping down all the mature trees in the area to let sapling that require full sunlight to grow) essentially "doing natures work for it" by clearing trees when historically usually forest fires and stuff would take the role of clearing all the trees and renewing the forests. (So this basically allows us to use the trees for our own processes rather than them just being burned -- which ofc might provide good fertilizer but also I think just releases more CO2 in the air probably and we can come up with some replacement fertilizers or see how the ecological system well accounts for it). In practice, it can also just help people's lives by preventing the spread of forest fires when applied in the right areas. You just really have to look at it on a per-regional and ecological basis.

[@LobsterDado]

welp, we just invented unrecycling

[@nataliegutierrez2458]

I don’t think you’ve ever clickbaited me with your thumbnails before and I appreciate that.

[@Nae_Ayy]

Excellent video as always, Red. I've recently gotten into chemistry myself; I think it's amazing that we can control the fundamental makeup of our world to bend to our needs. I really, really love your, I guess, experimentation videos, where you really don't know what you're going to end up with, but you try it anyway. My grandma had this old bottle from her youth that contained wintergreen and menthol, which you rub on your skin to make pain disappear and to leave a weird "minty fresh" feeling on your skin - and she loved it. She, being old and all, has a lot of random pains. Once I get a lab up and running I plan on using your wintergreen from aspirin guide to make her some pain relieving lotion or oil. I'm already growing mint, so all I need is to distill the menthol from the leaves to make the other ingredient. I dont really know why I'm sharing this, but I guess I just wanted to tell someone since I'm keeping it a surprise for my gma. I look forward to more videos!

[@72I32895305634058340]

menthol, not Methanol

[@Nae_Ayy]

HoboSammiches do you know what the difference between methanol and menthol is?

[@WhoisA__]

update?

[@Ravenkiko]

*makes something beautiful* *immediately breaks it for science*

[@DEATHMOONPRODUCTIONS]

*”A soul for a soul”*

[@corison2058]

If you see this Subscribe 👌 noice

[@thejbo777]

We can make something beautiful, too, but I gotta break yo back first ;))))))

[@josephpeters7014]

Corison20 got you dawg

[@pleasebesilent7089]

👏 420 likes 👏

[@deeboseph]

11:15 The doctor when I was born

[@blizzard_the_seal9863]

@Dylan Bodkin CAUGHT ME BY SURPRISE LMAO I’M FPDYING HFHBHJSJANA

[@Bleachc15]

Chemistry is amazing but I’m convinced this man is an alchemist 😂

[@hector4955]

Can you reverse this?

[@kidpog3d101]

Hblog yyes but we probably haven't figured it out yet

[@edoardofasolo6032]

To remove the cloudyness use active charcoal, maybe it will form a complex with insoluble portion of unreact cellulose and take it away. The polimers are brittle because of crisatallin portion. The cristals are form from the solution that is not too concentrated so this allow lots of cristal to form. I suggest try to remove as much as possible acetone from the diacetate and plasticizer run. With triacetate there is not much you can do

[@hectichive889]

How can we trust a person who can't spell crystal*, polymers*, and cloudiness* correctly?

[@edoardofasolo6032]

Hectic Hive do whatever you want, i'm italian, i learn english last year for University request, most of my knowledge are oral and i cant write some words

[@hectichive889]

Edoardo Fasolo ahhh. Ok

[@mpozainno]

Always Refreshing to see you. It's good to know you are alive, knowing you might one time try out something that will blow your mind literally

[@SteveMelissaMcAdams]

The last 2 brain cells in my head: Mmm Yes, This will make you very smart

[@grantbeyea8741]

8:22 "when it's done I'm left wwith some nice hard and crunchy powder"

[@notmuchmate658]

These videos help so much with my chemistry homework cant thank you enough

[@color4452]

4:18 is it just me or did the stir bar forget how to swim for a second? The poor thing had a worse panic attack than I have in the past week, and that's saying a lot.

[@JosephBurnett937]

lol

[@nilnileer]

:(

[@mortlet5180]

Would purifying the cellulose source before hand (basically making Rayon) help with the impurities? Regarding filtering, maybe you could do a more graduated filtering (with very course silica gel at the top, fining down to a little bigger than your filter pores, to make it more resistant to blocking). Also, maybe it would help to reduce the solution's viscosity, by warming it up and/or adding some dcm, alcohol or a mixture of both, before you go to filter it. One last idea, was to dilute the solution a little bit with water, and then try to extract the cellulose triacetate with dcm.

[@TheMasonX23]

+

[@pokyturnip]

I like how he just gets into the video instead having an intro and asking for likes. Also live the video! Keep going :)

[@DillonAlderson]

Can you make a video on trying to get the sulfuric acid out of an onion

[@theterrarian591]

I just found out onions release sulfur gas...

[@cobalt7530]

It's not practical at all as there is so little sulfur in the onions

[@thatguy6657]

Dragos Merisca Yea it would be better to get a car battery and a hot plate

[@thatguy6657]

BMAN488877 Meh good point

[@cobalt7530]

BMAN488877 ok but I must tell you that most of the sulfur in the onions is in the corn of vitamin b1, of which an onion has 0.046 mg. If this is all converted to sulfuric acid, we'd get 0.016 mg of it. It is impossible to work on such a small scale in a home lab.

[@mitochondria1065]

No Nile, I said plastic into paper, not vice versa 😩

[@KingKRS1000]

Alternative title: how to turn something that breaks down easily and isn’t a problem into something that is a huge problem and doesn’t decompose easily

[@clivelambert-oe7kg]

That's a long title

[@psychologicalreasoning2159]

*Do it backwards... and you’re rich!*

[@AllTheOthers]

I wanted to see how durable it was, *So I decided to get my hammer* Thats gonna be me when I finally have a child.

[@GigaChad-tv7xl]

👁👄👁

[@S.Wa.]

For rinsing step, you can use centrifuge instead of filtration. It is also commonly used for purification step to remove residual acid. Also, the final product looks good because they are soluble in acetone. Probably there is residual non/poorly acetylated cellulose as cellulose nanofiber or nanocrystal. They are generally increasing strength but it can affect brittleness also. Additionally please keep in mind there is an effect of molecular weight. To purify your final product, there are several available techniques. For example, after dissolving it in acetone, filtrate the solution by 200nm syringe filter which made of PVDF or other acetone resistant material. Then large debris or insoluble particles in your solution are removed. Also repeated precipitation by water is one of good method to remove water soluble impurities.

[@joncarlin5010]

I’m watching this video while there’s tornado sirens I’m hearing

[@shirodfujiko8589]

are you alive?

[@shirodfujiko8589]

hello are you alive

[@diamondfox_w9008]

are you alive

[@Amelia0nTop]

are you ok?

[@crappyblueangel74]

Are you dead ?

[@Jamesvandaele]

Centrifuge?

[@OneOfDisease]

James Van Daele thats what i was thinking.

[@NileRed]

Unfortunately, I didnt have one when I was making the video. I do now though! I plan to revisit this, so when I do, ill centrifuge it

[@mikewuerth4218]

About 30 years ago, I made cellulose nitrate from a cotton ball. I treated the cotton with nitric acid and a small amount of sulfuric acid as a catalyst. By only letting it react for a short time, I nitrified the cellulose on the surface of the cotton fibers, without destroying the structure of the cotton ball. I washed the cotton ball in water and let it dry. Acetone dissolved the cellulose nitrate, but not the remaining unreacted cellulose. I dripped the solution onto a glass plate. Once dry, I easily peeled off a sheet of plastic that was fully transparent. It was flexible, but broke like your acetate. When ignited, it burned up in a quick flash.

[@ambermarie4369]

I love watching these videos even though I have no idea what’s going on 😂

[@SuperFatBananaMan]

How did you manage to get acetic anhydride (y'know heroin and all).

[@NileRed]

Magic

[@myth-termoth1621]

Cant you just make sodium acetate and heat it?

[@Chem-iu5jx]

Myth-ter Moth no

[@lupituh]

NileRed cool.

[@hoiyichoi5934]

@@NileRed lol

[@jaykerzp3643]

I had no idea it was possible to make plastic from paper until I watched this video. Plastic is a lot more natural than I thought. Pretty cool video. Next time someone asks you “paper or plastic”, tell them “science.” Lol don’t do that. Respect people’s time.

[@-__-_-_--__--_-__-_____--_-___]

I love how you couldn't stop playing with the wet triacetate. I would've done the same, it looks so fun

[@KowboyUSA]

Can't understand how can Nile only have 281K subs when he has the most popular chemistry channel on KZbin. Hmm...

[@angela93298]

John Ratko There aren't many intelligent people in KZbin. There are fewer people who like chemistry

[@y.z.6517]

This is true. For a prove, count the percentage of intelligent comments versus otherwise. It would be very low on even a science channel. Fortunately, silly people need costly illusion to entertain, whereas an intelligent person can get an audience just by knowing something.

[@lemao_squash4486]

Y. Z. You're almost in r/iamverysmart

[@narustories]

@@angela93298 I hate chemistry but discover this channel is fun to watch :P

[@williamwatkins6669]

13:00 do you have a reference for the paper regarding which plasticiser to use in the cellulose?

[@stacyfromaccounting]

it's wild how interesting his videos are. i have no idea why i've been learning about chemistry, there is 0 chance i will ever need this information.

[@davidspyra1827]

Can't you at first extract the cellulose by using Schweitzers reagent and the do all the esterification? This could clear up the solution (min.: 4:00 in the vid.) because this way you could maybe get rid of some other stuff in the paper.

[@pinaz993]

That was my thought. Get absolutely pure cellulose.

[@RedwoodRhiadra]

Esterification is the reaction he's demonstrating in this video. Schweitzer's reagent is a mixture that dissolves cellulose - NileRed's already done a couple of videos on it: kzbin.info/www/bejne/baurm2xjf6dmack

[@dreamyrhodes]

Ester is a compound of an acid with other organic molecules such as an alcohol or a sugar (cellulose is a sugar polymer). So, celluloce acetat is basically cellulose polymer esterficated with acetic acid ("vinegar acid"). Other common esters are oil and fats that are esters of fatty acid and glycerol (glycerine). Schweizer's reagent is a compount-solution that's able to solve cellulose which's normally insolvable.

[@HoboSammiches]

dreamyrhodes Or you could've just said an ester is a molecule with a carbon double bonded to an oxygen, that also contains a single bonded oxygen adjacent to the cabonyl (C double bond O) carbon. The guy who asked obviously doesn't know about functional groups, so I just figured it'd be easier to explain it this way. Hopefully the chap sees it so he can also look up functional groups... a man can dream

[@lil-drake]

David spyra He has already done that, and the paper of course result in a suspension-like floating cellulose particles, roughly the same as pulp :|

[@Mygfisawesone]

Do a video on how to make sodium polyacrylate (fake snow)

[@saifschannel2599]

4:20: That stir bar was very excited to be a part of this.

[@redsus8088]

Who doesn’t understand anything but still loves his videos😂☝️☝️☝️☝️