Gum sticking to shoes

[Amaton]

From the Wikipedia article on Chewing gum...

"It is extremely difficult and expensive to remove once "walked in" and dried. Gum bonds strongly to asphalt and rubber shoe soles because they are all made from polymeric hydrocarbons. It also bonds strongly with concrete paving."

 

So what exactly is this bonding between polymeric hydrocarbons? From my little general chemistry knowledge, I would guess a type of intermolecular force. A typical person would never guess the annoyingness of stuck gum would have anything to do with chemistry (then again, everything has something to do with chemistry). Just curious.

[Amaton]

Really, no one? It's just a matter of what's going on chemically between the gum and rubber material.

[Phi for All]

I'll give this a bump.

 

I'm no chemist, but I think gum's lack of solubility with water is the culprit here. The same property keeps gum from absorbing saliva and dissolving like normal food would. Thus it also resists cleaning, since you can't use water to break it down or cause it to lose its grip on porous materials like asphalt (which also has water repellent properties).

[John Cuthber]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_der_Waals_force

[Amaton]

I'm no chemist, but I think gum's lack of solubility with water is the culprit here. The same property keeps gum from absorbing saliva and dissolving like normal food would. Thus it also resists cleaning, since you can't use water to break it down or cause it to lose its grip on porous materials like asphalt (which also has water repellent properties).

 

That makes sense. It also explains why we need special (and relatively expensive) chemicals to break it down instead of water-based cleaners.

 

http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/sustainability/archive/news-a-greener-chewing-gum.html

"The latest news about nonadhesive chewing gum comes from University College Cork (Ireland). In early November, the university announced that Elke Arendt and her research team at the School of Food and Nutritional Sciences developed and patented a nonstick, biodegradable chewing gum from cereal proteins. Professor Arendt says that their product tastes and feels like the synthetic products, but it safely dissolves in your mouth after 45 minutes. Tossed-out gum is easily picked up or swept away. Although the manufacturing technology for this gum is completely different from current processes, several companies are interested in its possibilities."

 

I'm sure Disney World, Six Flags, and all big cities are also interested in the idea.