ScienceNostalgia101 Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 So I was recently watching this video on YouTube and it shows a bunch of large balloons being popped in slow motion. (First example a few seconds shy of a minute in.) I can't tell whether that is dust or mist or something else at the outer edge of what used to be the balloon immediately after it was popped. Could the act of popping a balloon cause enough adiabatic expansion to bring the air in the immediate vicinity of the balloon to the dewpoint? Would the remnants of the balloon be aerosolized to the point of initially being visible as dust in the aftermath of the popping? Or is it a "little from column A, little from column B" solution with the aerosolized balloon bits acting as cloud condensation nuclei in a room otherwise close to the dewpoint? Or some other explanation I am missing here? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iNow Posted June 4, 2022 Share Posted June 4, 2022 Probably simpler like the air used to fill the balloons wasn’t zero percent humidity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mistermack Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 I have a feeling that each balloon gets an internal coating of some kind of lubricant when they are made, to stop them sticking together. Maybe a very fine talcum, or something sprayed on. Just a guess. Have a look at the inside surface of a popped balloon. I can vaguely remember noticing that there is something there on the inside surface. I'm not 100% sure though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swansont Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 “Weather balloons are approximately 5 feet in diameter and typically made of latex. There is a special powder that covers its surface, which helps the balloon resist premature popping.” https://www.wcnc.com/article/weather/weather-iq/what-is-weather-balloon-explain-teach-education-science/275-83827603-5098-41c0-b5fe-d79e1e19071f “You’d have a hard time flying a balloon up to 100,000 feet if it were made from pure natural rubber! Luckily balloon manufacturers add proprietary fillers (that white powder you may notice on the surface of your balloon) and slightly vulcanize the balloons” https://medium.com/loonar-technologies/care-and-keeping-of-your-latex-high-altitude-balloon-7e4a8d13a703 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zapatos Posted June 5, 2022 Share Posted June 5, 2022 Quote Once rubberized, the forms are dipped into a solution of talcum powder and water, which allows the latex balloons to be stripped from the molds more easily. From the talcum bath, the forms slide underneath a pair of rollers. https://zephyrsolutions.com/how-latex-balloons-are-made/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScienceNostalgia101 Posted June 13, 2022 Author Share Posted June 13, 2022 Cool! Thanks again for the info, guys. Sorry I forgot about this thread until just then... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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