How Does the Clean up on a Magic Aqua Sand Work?
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Creation of Magic or Aqua Sand
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Magic or Aqua sand is known by many names, including Super Sand, Mystic Sand and Zsand. The basic product is a type of colored sand that does not get wet, and can be played with in water without actually absorbing any of that water. The sand is marketed both to children as a toy they can use in the bathtub, and to aquarium owners as a sculpting material that can be used in fish tanks.
Like many inventions, magic sand was originally created for a far different purpose. The Cabot Corporation developed it to help clean water systems and remove oily contaminants that were resistant to ordinary cleaners. Today's magic sand is created by giving ordinary sand a silicon coating. Inland sand is typically used because of its softer edges, and the sand is cleaned and dyed into specific colors before being treated. It is then exposed to a organohalosilane like dimethyldichlorosilane, a special chemical compound that reacts with the sand and creates a thin monolayer silicone coating. This coating is like a hydrocarbon film, but is made of different particles and has excellent hydrophobic qualities.
Action
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When placed in water these particles of sand naturally repel the water, and do not allow the water molecules to bond to their surfaces in any way. A group of magic sand particles will also naturally attract, sticking together in and apart from the water in their own substrate, which makes it easier to mold and shape them. When the sand is removed from the water it is still dry, because no water actually penetrated to its surface. When the sand needs to be cleaned up, it is simply gathered in a sieve that allows the water to fall away but leaves the sand particles together.
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Cleaning
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While magic sand can easily be re-used, it does have a lifespan which is often decided by its exposure to various types of oil, such as the oil found in human skin. Exposure to oils will eventually remove the silicone coating that protects the grains of sand, compromising them and making them largely useless. This means that magic sand which is played with often will wear out much more quickly than magic sand that is sculpted and left to sit in water.
Cleaning the sand itself is very simple, and involves running it through clean water while avoiding skin contact as much as possible to reduce the transfer of oils. Not all the water will be rinsed off the sand just by draining, so it is often best to place the sand on paper towels or newspaper so the rest of the water can be absorbed. The sand can then be placed in its original container or a similar receptacle.
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