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The type of silicone sealant that you would buy at your local hardware store. Would it break down when exposed to 90% mixture of isopropyl alcohol?

Oliver
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2 Answers2

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According to this rather extensive chart, silicone can be exposed to isopropyl alcohol with no breakdown expected.

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Todd Minehardt
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By breaking down, do you mean the destruction of the sealants ability to adhere or the destruction of the silicone polymer. Polar solvents will permeate and swell the polymer, separating the polymer from its filler, destroying the adhesive functionally but the polymer itself will remain intact. A strong base, such as NaOH will destroy the polymer, eating into and breaking the polymer chains, much the same way soda glass is much lower melting than quartz. Lower MW alcohols or water won't affect the sealant but higher alcohols or alkanes, acetates, ethers, aromatics, etc. will.

Chippe
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  • This is somewhat on the verge of a clarification-asking comment … but at the same time I realise the question itself was not great. Not sure what to do with this … – Jan Jan 30 '17 at 22:18