Magic sand
Encyclopedia
Magic sand, Moon Sand, Mars Sand, Space Sand,Sqand or Aqua Sand is a toy
made from sand
coated with a hydrophobic
compound. The presence of this hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinder
s (to minimize surface area
) when exposed to water. As soon as the sand is taken out of water, it is completely dry and flows freely.
These properties are achieved by covering ordinary beach sand, which contains tiny particles of pure silica, and exposing them to vapors of trimethylsilanol
(CH3)3Si
OH
, an organosilicon
compound. Upon exposure, the trimethylsilane compound bonds to the silica particles while forming water. The exteriors of the sand grains are thus coated with hydrophobic
groups.
Magic sand was originally developed to trap ocean oil spill
s near the shore. This would be done by sprinkling Magic sand on floating petroleum, which would then mix with the oil and make it heavy enough to sink. However, due to the expense of production, it is not being used for this purpose. It has also been tested by utility companies in the Arctic areas as a foundation for junction boxes, as it never freezes. It can be also used as an aerating medium for potted plants.
Magic sand is made in blue, green, or red in colors but appears silvery in water because of a layer of air that forms around the sand.
Earliest reference to waterproof sand can be found in a 1915 book called The Boy Mechanic Book 2 put out by Popular Mechanics. The Boy Mechanic states waterproof sand was invented by East Indian magicians. The sand was made by mixing heated sand with melted wax. The wax would repel the water when the sand was exposed to water.
Toy
A toy is any object that can be used for play. Toys are associated commonly with children and pets. Playing with toys is often thought to be an enjoyable means of training the young for life in human society. Different materials are used to make toys enjoyable and cuddly to both young and old...
made from sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
coated with a hydrophobic
Hydrophobe
In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is repelled from a mass of water....
compound. The presence of this hydrophobic compound causes the grains of sand to adhere to one another and form cylinder
Cylinder (geometry)
A cylinder is one of the most basic curvilinear geometric shapes, the surface formed by the points at a fixed distance from a given line segment, the axis of the cylinder. The solid enclosed by this surface and by two planes perpendicular to the axis is also called a cylinder...
s (to minimize surface area
Surface area
Surface area is the measure of how much exposed area a solid object has, expressed in square units. Mathematical description of the surface area is considerably more involved than the definition of arc length of a curve. For polyhedra the surface area is the sum of the areas of its faces...
) when exposed to water. As soon as the sand is taken out of water, it is completely dry and flows freely.
These properties are achieved by covering ordinary beach sand, which contains tiny particles of pure silica, and exposing them to vapors of trimethylsilanol
Trimethylsilanol
Trimethylsilanol , also trimethylhydroxysilane, is a silanol with the formula 3SiOH, or C3H10OSi. It is an organosilicon derivative of silane substituted with three methyls and one hydroxyl group. It is a volatile organic liquid with boiling point between 98.6-99 °C.TMS is used to apply...
(CH3)3Si
Silicon
Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
OH
Hydroxyl
A hydroxyl is a chemical group containing an oxygen atom covalently bonded with a hydrogen atom. In inorganic chemistry, the hydroxyl group is known as the hydroxide ion, and scientists and reference works generally use these different terms though they refer to the same chemical structure in...
, an organosilicon
Organosilicon
Organosilicon compounds are organic compounds containing carbon silicon bonds. Organosilicon chemistry is the corresponding science exploring their properties and reactivity.Like carbon, the organically bound silicon is tetravalent and tetrahedral...
compound. Upon exposure, the trimethylsilane compound bonds to the silica particles while forming water. The exteriors of the sand grains are thus coated with hydrophobic
Hydrophobe
In chemistry, hydrophobicity is the physical property of a molecule that is repelled from a mass of water....
groups.
Magic sand was originally developed to trap ocean oil spill
Oil spill
An oil spill is the release of a liquid petroleum hydrocarbon into the environment, especially marine areas, due to human activity, and is a form of pollution. The term is mostly used to describe marine oil spills, where oil is released into the ocean or coastal waters...
s near the shore. This would be done by sprinkling Magic sand on floating petroleum, which would then mix with the oil and make it heavy enough to sink. However, due to the expense of production, it is not being used for this purpose. It has also been tested by utility companies in the Arctic areas as a foundation for junction boxes, as it never freezes. It can be also used as an aerating medium for potted plants.
Magic sand is made in blue, green, or red in colors but appears silvery in water because of a layer of air that forms around the sand.
Earliest reference to waterproof sand can be found in a 1915 book called The Boy Mechanic Book 2 put out by Popular Mechanics. The Boy Mechanic states waterproof sand was invented by East Indian magicians. The sand was made by mixing heated sand with melted wax. The wax would repel the water when the sand was exposed to water.