Hydrophobic sand facts for kids
Hydrophobic sand, also called magic sand, is a fun toy. It's made from regular sand that has a special coating. This coating makes the sand grains stick together when they touch water. They form cool shapes, like cylinders, and trap tiny air bubbles around them. These air bubbles stop the sand from getting wet. There's also a similar type called kinetic sand. It feels like wet sand but never dries out. Both types of hydrophobic sand won't mix with water.
Contents
The Story of Magic Sand
The idea of waterproof sand isn't new! It was first mentioned in a 1915 book called The Boy Mechanic Book 2 by Popular Mechanics. This book said that magicians from East India invented waterproof sand. They made it by mixing hot sand with melted wax. The wax would then push away water.
Magic sand was first created to help clean up oil spills in the ocean near the shore. The idea was to sprinkle magic sand on floating oil. The sand would mix with the oil and make it heavy enough to sink. However, making this sand was very expensive. Because of the high cost, it is no longer used for cleaning up oil spills.
Hydrophobic sand has also been tested for other uses. Companies in cold, Arctic areas have tried using it as a base for junction boxes. This is because the sand never freezes. It is also used to help add air to the soil for potted plants.
How Magic Sand Works
What Makes Magic Sand Special?
Magic sand gets its unique properties from regular beach sand. Beach sand has tiny bits of pure silica. This sand is then exposed to a special vapor called trimethylsilanol. This chemical is also known as (CH3)3SiOH.
When the sand touches the trimethylsilanol vapor, the chemical sticks to the silica particles. This process also creates water. So, the outside of each sand grain gets covered with a special coating that pushes water away. This is why, when you take magic sand out of water, it is completely dry and flows freely.
Popular Brands of Hydrophobic Sand
There are a few popular brands of hydrophobic sand that you might know:
- Kinetic Sand
- This is a toy made by Spin Master. Kinetic Sand looks like regular wet sand but comes in many different colors. You can mold it into almost any shape you want. It is mostly very fine sand (98%). The other 2% is a special oil called dimethicone, which is also known as polydimethylsiloxane. This oil coating means the sand never dries out. It feels and acts just like wet sand.
- Aqua Sand
- This brand has properties very similar to Kinetic Sand. It also repels water and can be molded.
See also
In Spanish: Arena hidrofóbica para niños
- List of toys
