O glitter it is composed of metallic pieces, of multiple colors, widely used in body decoration, especially in carnival, or in various artistic works.
This colored material is the result of cutting a thin blade from a plastic type copolymer, covered with a thin sheet of aluminum, or other materials such as oxides metallic (such as titanium).
In general, the glitter pieces are cut to 1mm size.2, which makes it a product that deserves attention regarding its use, especially in areas of the body close to the eyes.
The adherence of the glitter to the skin or surfaces such as Styrofoam requires the use of products such as glue, makeup or body creams.
As it is a plastic, glitter also requires attention in its disposal, as it is a non-biodegradable product.
Copolymers that form glitter
Copolymer is a type of plastic formed in an addition polymerization reaction between two or more monomers, necessarily different, as in the scheme shown below:
Equation representing a polymerization reaction
In this reaction, there is a break in the
pi link between the carbons of monomer 1 and monomer 2. On each of these carbons, a binding site is formed that will join the two structures.Products confused with glitter
Glitter, brocal and glitter are often confused with the same product
There are several products that can be confused with glitter, such as brocal, glitter and star powder. Check out the differences between these products below:
Brocal: is produced by a copolymer based on vinyl chloride monomers, just as glitter can be made, but cut into larger pieces. It is a product that requires glue to be fixed to surfaces, especially human skin.
Structural formula of vinyl chloride monomer
Glitter: it also has copolymers in its constitution, but with a greater amount of aluminum metal in the mixture. In the cutting process, the glitter pieces are smaller than the glitter pieces.
The fact that the glitter particles are smaller favors a better adhesion, spreading well over the materials, which requires less products to glue
Star Dust: is a material based on the mineral mica, covered by oxides responsible for the shine. Its main feature is the fact that it can adhere to a person's skin without the need for glue or another product, in addition to being biodegradable.
The environmental issue of glitter
the pieces of glitter are small, so when discarded in the environment, especially in water, they can harm the fauna. marine life, especially fish and other small aquatic beings, as these animals may confuse them with food.
as the glitter it is a material that cannot be metabolized by the organism of a living being, it just accumulates and can generate structural and respiratory damage in these beings.
It is noteworthy that the glitter it only reaches the aquatic environment when we send it to this ecosystem, and this occurs with improper disposal in the garbage or removal of the product from the skin.
With the growing use of this product to decorate the body, at any time of the year, not just at carnival, there is greater concern with the environmental issue. However, in addition to the glitter, many other plastic products are discarded in nature, regardless of size, which, in the same way, affect and harm the environment.
Therefore, we must be aware of how we dispose of plastic materials, and, if possible, avoid the their production and use, replacing them with materials with greater biodegradation and that do not harm the ecosystems.
By Me. Diogo Lopes Dias
Source: Brazil School - https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/o-que-e/quimica/o-que-e-glitter.htm