Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff from house stuff works dot com
Speaker 1: where smart happens. Hi Am Marshall Brain with today's question,
Speaker 1: what is the crystalline substance found in disposable diapers? The
Speaker 1: crystals come from the super absorbent layer found in most
Speaker 1: disposable diapers. This layer consists of paper, fluff and a
Speaker 1: chemical absorbent called sodium polyacrylate. Sodium polyaccrylate is an amazing
Speaker 1: water absorber. It can absorb two hundred to three hundred
Speaker 1: times it's weight, and tap water even more if the
Speaker 1: water is distilled and it holds it as a gooey gel.
Speaker 1: Sodium polyaccrylate is a polymer, meaning that it consists of
Speaker 1: chains of identical units called monomers. The monomer for sodium
Speaker 1: polyaccrylate is a little carbon chain with a couple of
Speaker 1: oxygen and sodium adams hanging off of it. It's a
Speaker 1: pretty cool polymer. Shake the crystals out of a new diaper,
Speaker 1: or buy the crystals at a garden center and add
Speaker 1: water or to them to see just how amazing they are.
Speaker 1: There's concern in certain circles about the use of sodium
Speaker 1: polyacculate next to a child's skin. The concern is often
Speaker 1: used as an argument against disposable diapers. Obviously, most people
Speaker 1: considered a minor issue. Just about every disposable diaper contains
Speaker 1: the crystals. Do you have any ideas or suggestions for
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