Isopropyl alcohol is one of my favorite organic molecule because of what I am capable of doing with it. A hobby that me and my boyfriend have is to cosplay which is dress up as a fantasy character. We are not creative so we usually buy our stuffs, but over the summer of 2013, we made our own. Making our own cosplay, I learned to use isopropyl alcohol for things I did not know I could do with it. Because isopropyl alcohol is polar despite being made up of mostly nonpolar CH, it is capable of dissolving nonpolar solution and substances. This came in handy for me when I had to remove hot glue from my cosplay vest. Another use I had for isopropyl alcohol is dye a synthetic wig. Isopropyl alcohol is a fast acting agent when it comes to dissolving, and because it is very reactive, it dissolves quickly into the air. When I had to dye my wig, I mixed the alcohol with acrylic ink and sprayed it on my wig and allowed the alcohol to dissipate from the wig. When the alcohol left the wig completely, the acrylic ink stayed on the wig.
Besides being used for my hobby, isopropyl alcohol can also used as a disinfectant, cleanser, in cosmetics, automobiles, in chemical reactions as an intermediate, and more. This is because of the structure of the molecule. Isopropyl alcohol is made up of mostly CHs which is nonpolar, but because it has OH at one spot of the structure, it makes it so that the molecule is polar, which is what allows it to react with other nonpolar molecules. Isopropyl alcohol was not always popular, especially back when personal hygiene was unimportant and technology was not as advance as it is today. It was first discovered around the 1920s at a standard oil company that was attempting to hydrate propene. During that time, isopropyl alcohol was used mainly to oxidize acetone which in turned was used to prepare Cordite explosives for World War One.
Okay this is just really cool. I know I personally love cosplay but I've never actually made/painted my own wig before so I really think I'm going to try this for the next con I go to! I like that the molecule you chose was something legitimately personal and that you explained the backstory of why it's your favorite. It made for a post that was engaging to the reader and not just random/generic. As far as isopropyl alcohol for me, I've always used it as mainly a disinfectant, but now thanks to you I've found a new use for it. Thank you!
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