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Materials

Chemistry In Pictures

Chemistry in Pictures: What lies beneath

by Alexandra Taylor
August 10, 2018

 

A photo of a hand holding a can of soda, the bottom portion which has been corroded to show the transparent polymer layer beneath.
Credit: Natalie Wright

Ever wonder what a can of soda is made of? Natalie Wright, an AP physics and engineering teacher at North Point High School for Science, Technology & Industry, decided to find out. First, she removed this soda can’s outer paint layer with steel wool. Then she dunked the can into 3M HCl to expose a section of the inner polymer liner and rinsed it under water to make it safe to handle. The transparent lining, shown here, was visible after 30–45 min. of sitting in the HCl. The lining is flexible and compresses when squeezed. Wright tried this experiment to observe the can’s corrosion, or as she said on Twitter, “#justbecause.”

Credit: Natalie Wright (@mswrisci)


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