a concept
Pretty great Popular Science feature on the invention of colored bubbles. Apparently it's been a holy grail in the toy industry for years... just imagine the fun we're going to have blowing green bubbles at rallies!
But it's even better than that, because a clever chemical trick allows the color to disappear when the bubble pops. According to the article, the molecule that makes temporary dye possible was invented by rockstar dye-chemist Ram Sabnis and toy inventor Tim Kehoe.
"Sabnis's solution was to build a dye molecule from an unstable base structure called a lactone ring that functions much like a box. When the ring is open, the molecule absorbs all visible light save for one color—the color of the bubble. But add air, water or pressure, and the box closes, changing the molecule's structure so that it lets visible light pass straight through. Sabnis builds each hue by adding different chemical groups onto this base."
Nice."Among the ideas Kehoe has already mocked up are a finger paint that fades from every surface except a special paper, a hair dye that vanishes in a few hours, and disappearing-graffiti spray paint. There's a toothpaste that would turn kids' mouths a bright color until they had brushed for the requisite 30 seconds, and a soap that would do the same for hand washing."Crazy, right? They're trying to get the bubbles in stores for the holidays.
By Psydeshow on November 25, 2005 at 8:24pm
Source: www.popsci.com