Quote:
Originally Posted by jwalker
I think you'll find it is and baking soda is a common accelerator. This info I got years ago (so I could be mis-remembering) when superglue was fairly new to the market. It was a poster I saw in BSL produced, I think, by Loctite and it gave an explanation of the curing process.
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It is not what a layman would consider an acid. i.e. it doesn't dissociate in water into ions including protons, with a pH <7 - as would acetic acid, hydrochloric acid etc. This is what is more accurately known as a Bronstead Acid. Your explanation that dilution effected the reaction, and it reacted with the alkali suggested that this was the "type" of acid you were referring to.
It is certainly a Lewis Acid - that is to say that cyanoacrylates can act as electron acceptors from a Lewis Base. Water can act as a Lewis base. Alkalis such as "baking soda" will in effect make water a better Lewis base.