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Why doesn't gasoline or paint thinner melt through Styrofoam when I try it yet there are videos of others melting Styrofoam in gasoline and paint thinner? Is there something I am doing wrong? This is the link to the paint thinner, I used. http://www.kleanstrip.com/uploads/products/Paint-Thinner-gallon-metal-GKPT94002-900.jpg

For gasoline, I used gasoline from a jerrycan which was sitting for a couple of months.

Please help me out by pointing out where and how I might have made a mistake. No excessive chemistry terminologies please. I am merely a fourth grader ( guardian ) trying to work this out.

Thank you, Guardian of fourth grader

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    $\begingroup$ The styrofoam experiment works well with acetone or toluene. Gasoline is no good; as for paint thinner, I guess it comes in various sorts and I don't know which one do you have (the picture doesn't help either). $\endgroup$ Jan 25, 2016 at 20:18
  • $\begingroup$ They add a good deal of petroleum to many paint-thinner products which can have varying strength as a styrofoam solvent. Pure organic solvents are ideal here, e.g. 100% acetone. The main ingredient of paint thinner that would dissolve Styrofoam, I think, is methanol. Methanol can be extracted by distillation but you probably don't have the equipment for that. Toluene likewise but the 'safer' products have methanol. $\endgroup$
    – khaverim
    Jan 26, 2016 at 6:05
  • $\begingroup$ Can you use this to seals leaks on plastic, roof, or any oil leaks? $\endgroup$ Feb 22 at 16:02

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Unless you're trying to make napalm, don't use gasoline.

Use acetone. It dissolves egg cartons within just a few minutes, and you can then take it out and reshape it (use gloves!). Set it out to dry and once the acetone has evaporated, it should be a (crude) solid.

Just ensure whatever container you're using to hold the acetone isn't polystyrene. Check to make sure recycling code 6 isn't on the container. I had a pretty good laugh at my teacher one day who poured acetone into a red solo cup and it went running all over the table.

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Polystyrene foam can be dissolved by gasoline, which contains toluene and its derivatives. Either the foam you have is not polystyrene, or the gasoline you're using is poor in toluene. Check for the code found on the styrofoam you've got, it should look like this:

enter image description here

If your foam is indeed polystyrene, the problem is with your solvent. Check if the fuel you've got is indeed gasoline, and not diesel or bioethanol. Using pure toluene is guaranteed to work.

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