Join me on Wren and start offsetting your carbon footprint today! We'll protect 5 extra acres of rainforest for the first 100 people who sign up! www.wren.co/join/xylafoxlin What did you think of my first voyage into the world of organic chemistry? I edited this comment out of the video since it broke the flow, but I was quite disappointed at the paper for being what I believe is unreplicatable. I am not an academic, but I don't think it was written such that someone could follow the measly Fabrication paragraph and achieve clear wood without adding a significant amount of their own chemistry knowledge. What do you think? I've linked the full paper in the description. PS. I am SO CLOSE to 100k! I think I'll do a celebratory livestream that week so be sure to keep that bell turned on so you don't miss it!
we worked with this before. Replacing glass with chemicals and some fibers just to say it is "transparent wood" and not "Nasty Resin with wood fibers" is not only totally wrong, but we cannot find world for it. As a fun project, yes. But anything else, no! no way.
Your animated o-chem structure diagram with the mask wearing xylene molecule made my evening. Thanks for rep'ing authentic dork on the RU-vids Xyla. 👩🔬
I was thinking of your video while watching Xylas video. I would be interested in how the paper actually did it or if there was some funny science documentation going on there.
My son tried to do this exact experiment for his science fair project and he got stuck on the epoxy part. Seeing this video was so eye opening and we’ve realized there are no details in that paper!!!! Thank you Xyla!
Rule number 1 is never trust a paper. EVER. I've honestly lost count how many I've tried to replicate that either don't work or they left out some key detail or they were waaaaaaay over generous with how easy the method is. My lab notebook usually looks insane from all the stuff crossed out and rewritten after trying protocols dozens of times until they work. What was supposed to be a simple protocol for getting DNA into yeast took like... a year? to get it working. Totally know the feeling of being unable to sleep until I solve a problem. Was dangerous having a lab in my house for a while cause it was hard to not work. Good on you for sticking with it till the end. The end result looked great! Congrats!
@@baikia777 There are a lot of factors, sometimes the process depends on things the original researchers didn't realize were important or not even measured, some labs don't want to give away all the details since that more readily enables people to do the same thing and possibly scoop you on future papers, journal articles tend to be concise and even in the supplemental you might not extensively document all the details, usually the primary experimental people write the methods and don't have someone try to follow them as written to make sure they work so you might have missed something or just oversimplified since you are so familiar with it. In the end its quite frustrating to try to replicate other people's papers even when you are working in a well funded and equipped lab you still can really struggle getting stuff to work.
But, isn't that the scientific process? Other people present results, and other people try to replicate, as long as the process continues the more closer to the truth we get. One paper isn't the end all be all truth, just as one test of a paper that contradict it isn't.
@@janikarkkainen3904 this almost... Never happens the way its "supposed too". Most pier review is just "does this make sense". For reasons of cost, time, equipment etc. If you do a test on a large hadron collider nobody outside your lab can replicate it. If you make clear wood it's not that scientifically important so nobody tries to replicate it.
It's always worth reaching out to the paper's author(s) wherever possible. Papers are intended to focus on the parts most relevant to the intended audience, which may not be "someone trying to replicate the methodology."
When your vacuum chamber or pressure chamber is too large, consider filling it most of the way with non-porous, incompressable material like rocks just to take up much of the volume.
The idea that this is process could be more "environmentally friendly" than standard glass is hilarious. Silica is one of the most abundant resources on the planet, and all you require is heat to create glass. This requires a bunch of petroleum-based distillates (plastic epoxy) and chemicals that are harmful. That being said, it's pretty cool.
Yeah, I though the same. I mean, if I have to use resin for this, why even bother with the wood? (honest question because I never worked with resin, does the wood in there provide something?)
As a science student, I will put anything on my report if it sounds even remotely feasible just to satisfy the “what does this paper bring to the area that’s new fun and fresh” criteria lmao. But also, I heard that we were running low on the specific type needed to make glass? Probably not a problem anytime soon but if we don’t up our recycling game it might be. Don’t have any references and can’t remember where I heard it from though, so it’s entirely possible I dreamed the whole thing up
Honestly, watching a process unfold with failure and re-evaluation is much more instructive than seeing a one off successful run. This sort of video teaches people who to go about things- anything, it doesn't matter. Writing a novel, for example. You work yourself into an untenable position, you back up and evaluate and try something new. You keep working until you get success or you understand why success isn't possible. Then, for the rest of your life, you KNOW that thing.
@@xylafoxlin did you see AvE's video on transparent wood before starting this project? IIRC he had some unique insights into his own failings at making it.
Evan and Katelyn had similar frustrations when they tried to do this project. I was just watching their video the other day & remember seeing their several failed attempts before they got it.
I'm an old woodturner and just thought you might want to try this with Red Oak as it is known for being very porous (so much so you can blow air through the end grain). Also orienting this so you had a flat section of end grain would really help with removing bubbles and saturating with epoxy. Just my thoughts I have no idea if they would help and if you want to give it another shot.
Seems like using end-grain would kind of defeat the purpose. The only reason the wood is in there is to improve the tensile strength of the resin (this is really just wood-reinforced resin, not transparent wood), and a slab of end-grain isn't going to add much tensile strength.
The relentless problem solving, particularly with a modest array of tools/resources, is probably the biggest gift in this video. Not to mention the introduction to organic chemistry! Fantastic effort, remarkable result, well put together!
0:28 - "alternative for eco-friendly windows" - uses a shipload of chemical stuff and the energy consumption of a small town to finally make a little square covered in chemical waste :D
@@JD-wf2hu it is accurate. Solve is the right word. Once the process is narrowed down any difficulty derived from not knowing what works best is gone. As well as the reduction of cost and materials.
@@orielsy reduction doesn't equal elimination. To 'solve' the issue of vast energy costs and the use of highly toxic chemicals. They would need to be entirely removed. So no, solve isn't the right word.
Helpful tip: when you said your pressure pot was too large for pulling a good vacuum using your pump, you just need to fill the unneeded space in the pressure pot with something. Bricks, marbles, packed greensand, whatever it takes.
Good suggestion... I'd be paranoid about unexpected materials changing the experiment, but that probably shows how much I don't know about these processes.
"With something" is much too non-specific. Many materials will off-gas when exposed to vacuum, which would make drawing a vacuum even *more* difficult.
@@JosephHarner "with something" is exactly as specific as it needs to be. All makers are not privy to perfect solutions at any given time and they can use their own judgment to make their choice of what to use.
I like how this went from "Maybe we can make environmentally friendly windows out of wood!" to "We're using an incredibly toxic mix of banned cancer-causing chemicals!" Love it.
17:30 "Look! What you don't see is a transparent piece of wood." Also, this was really interesting, and the trial and error approach made for an engaging story.
Wow! So impressed, it’s the best transparent wood attempt I’ve seen AND I understand the science more so THANK YOU! Can we talk about how cute your neighbours dog is?!
In an effort to create eco friendly windows one car, an apartment, and two garages were turned into Super Fund Hazardous waste clean up sites, I would call this experiment a resounding success
What “eco friendly alternative” would be complete without hypocrisy, proprietary methodology, and a thinly veiled cash grab that is in the long run demonstrably worse for the environment.
Glad you didn't quit, even though I don't know the point of encasing wood in epoxy except to demonstrate you can make transparent wood. So be it, great channel. I learned some organic chemistry along the way, and that was very useful. Thank you!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE your happiness. If anyone ever hates on you for that or calls you “inauthentic” please remember... jealousy makes people say terrible things.
Such a great 'scientific method' adventure! As an old audio/broadcast electronic nerd, I've had plenty of 'bad path' turnarounds---but eventually solved the issue. I am thankful audio doesn't usually require epoxy. Or breathing masks! Hats off to you for all that work!
I think it is great that you let everyone see all the times your experiments do not work out as planned. That is an invaluable way you learn. As an inventor it is part of my daily process. It gets easier after a while. You have to venture out far from the ordinary to create anything unique which sets one up for small setbacks on the way to successful projects. But it makes the successful outcomes all the more special. It always brings me a smile when I see a new video by you!!! Keep up the incredible videos!!
soooo, if I understand that correctly: you break away parts of the wood molecules and replace it with clear epoxy which then is sort of transparent... so basically, you could as well just use 100% epoxy in a mold... where is the environmental friendly innovation there?! still a cool project :)
Good point. Only thing I can think of is that you a) save a bit of epoxy and b) maybe enhance structural stability compared to an epoxy-only approach. Other than that, you are using extremely toxic chemicals like toluene or xylene. I guess they thought it's a cool idea, but since nowadays you always need an application to get funding, most of the time people just "invent" an application. Research got way too commercialized, meaning you have better chances of funding if you present a marketable product rather than "just" a new piece of knowledge. Instead of the chemicals, I would probably try to use fungal enzymes for breaking up the lignin. May take a bit longer, but you don't need toxic chemicals for it and with the right enzyme mix you might be able to break it up far enough so you can use non-aromatic solvents for washing out the digested chromophores. But I studied molecular biotech, so of course my approach would be a bit different than hers (also genetic engineering and enzyme purification is not suuuuper feasible to do in a garage ;)).
@@floriannadler very well put. two things: 1. if only all conversations on youtube would be that nice and informative 2. I would love seeing that approach - if not already tried out - done in a similar video... well, not in the garage obviously :D
@@thetomster7625 1. Thank you :) guess chances of having a nice and informative conversation are slightly higher under a scientific video, simply attracts a more objective crowd I'd say. 2. A quick google scholar search didn't reveal anything in that direction, most research on lignin depolymerization focuses on the subsequent use of the breakdown products, since lignin is the worlds most abundant aromatic compound (I'll try to put a link to this review here, maybe you'll find it interesting: biotechnologyforbiofuels.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13068-021-01934-w).
saw the videos from NileRed a while back which really really surprised me that you tried that. not to talk down on you but Nile did chemistry in forever and really really struggled with the clear wood. Altho it didn't turn out quiiite as good as you envisioned, I really really think you did super well! Great job Xyla keep it up!
@@xylafoxlin Nigel gave up on transparent wood quicker than you did in his first video, even though it was his field of study. His version is more professional from it being his major and being a full time RU-vidr longer. Would he be as determined with a electromechanical challenge as you were with this chemistry conundrum outside your field? Or perhaps him being on the full time RU-vid treadmill for so long might also be why he's so quick to drop a challenge and move on to the next project to keep the content flowing?
I watch and read a lot of horror, thrillers, crime stuff, but there was more tension and excitement here that in any Hollywood blockbuster. Wonderful to see it all come together.
As an organic/materials/green chemist I can 100% confirm that replicating literature procedures in your own lab is often a huge pain, and there's always an element of cookery and witchcraft to getting good results... that's part of what makes org chem fun, but also why so many of my colleagues have so little hair. The stories I could tell you about reactions that only work if there's a tiny bit of water in your solvent but not too much, and the original author got lucky and didn't mention any of that....
Thank you for not quitting in this (and other) adventures of the sciences and maths. Good job in your accomplishment in that way as well as your video production for us... 👍
I've seen at least one other video showing transparent wood using the same paper here on RU-vid. Your video, however, is so much more in depth. Explaining a lot more of the science behind the process and what each step in the process does. I also enjoyed your energy which made watching the science parts both interesting and fun. Well done and thank you. You've just gained a subscriber.
Your explanation at 10:57 is iconic. He’s like a little chemistry hamburglar. And your clear wood is AMAZING!! 🤯 One minute you’re downplaying your chemistry knowledge and the next you pull out a perfectly transparent block of wood. 🧊
@@xylafoxlin You should know that across town Bryan Cranston ran the same experiment and produced much thicker pieces of wood that were transparent. However they did have a bluish tint to them.
Hi Xyla, I just watched your video and I did some vacuum casting myself. So what I was wondering is that they use is a vacuum bag (they push the epoxy in with 1atm of pressure), and you use a vacuum chamber (to get the air out of the wood). If I wanted to cast something without any air left in the end product (there were very fine air gaps in the things I cast), I first got rid of all the air via a vacuum chamber, covered everything in casting material and then let the air pressure push in the casting material. Better results maybe could be had, if you used a vacuum to pull out the air in the wood, add epoxy (arduino and steppers or something like that) and then put positive pressure on the whole thing in order to push the epoxy in all of the crevices.
The problem with modern academia is that they are so focused on possible patents that they obfuscate the process deliberately. It hurts the entire academic community as well as independent researchers
Sorry, but that's simply not true. Patenting something doesn't stop you from describing it perfectly. On the contrary, once it's patented you are free to disclose it, since it's already protected. And if you publish before patenting, you even get a grace period of one year after publication in which you can still file for a patent (in the US).
As person who worked a lot in chem lab with low pressure systems and with epoxy as a hobby it made me smile every time you made mistake obvious to me and then found out, haha. In general evaporating all of the xylene or acetone should take longer than you leave them. You should also be wary of solvent vapours inside the pump as it can accumulate and dilute oil or foul the seals. We usually leave samples (much much smaller ones) in vacuum oven over night.
Nothing like repeated failure to make you an expert. Just stumbled on your video and I was on the edge of my seat. It was like a science drama film. Great work!
considering that one of the main ones is literally banned in california and they all require serious PPE, I think I agree that they're definitely toxic.
IDK, it does take a lot of heat to create glass, so a lot of combustion. If the whole process is done in a sealed space and all the chemicals get reused, maybe it can be not that bad.
It was excellent of you to persist at this and to show your incremental failures and successes on this video. One thing I learned early on is that researchers, particularly students, are anxious to talk about their work to people who are interested. If you called the principal investigator at U. Maryland, I am certain he would be very happy to have you talk with his students and you will likely be able to hear all their stories of their own incremental failures and successes. Research papers are truly meant to contain the barest minimum of detail to the reader. I bet they would love to hear from you and they would benefit from it, too, even if you aren’t interested in further investigating this subject yourself.
"Eco friendly windows in the future" Sure. Substitute the process of melting minerals with a whole barrage of dubious chemicals. More to the point: Why not skip the whole "wood" thing and just cast epoxy panes? (Which probably still have a way larger ecological footprint than mineral glass) SMH It sure was fun to attempt it, though.
thank you for posting this first i was just about to to the same in the end this is still just single use plastic with some traces of wood byproduct as a filler. glass is endlessly recyclable, chemically inert and brakes back down into sand in the end. so its better for the environment in every possible way you can mesure.
@@dexdrako "glass is endlessly recyclable (not), chemically inert (isn't) and brakes back down into sand in the end (doesn't). so its better for the environment in every possible way you can mesure." No! But it has some very good aspects, despite it's faults. btw there is no such 'thing' as glass, glassiness is a property; even plastics and metals can be 'glassy'.
Well the idea is that the end product is stronger than just the epoxy, and that bit does work. I'm not sure how the manufcacture and use of the chemicals used for this compare to making glass (I'd expect significant energy usage due to the temperatures involved). Bit of a moot point since it doesn't work nearly well enough to go in windows or really anywhere else we care about being able to see things not pressed up against it of course.
I love the RU-vid Peer Review Process... I'm not sure the original paper's authors would feel quite so positive about the comments, but the fact that you're able to reproduce and refine their work _for everyone to see_ is brilliant!
I'm so glad you love C-Thru things! I too, love C-Thru things, and wrote a story about featherless chickens and transparent cows, so I'm with you on the transparent wood! Or aluminum. I love C-Thru metals.
Im not sure if you have come across this product but look up "cactus juice". It's a heat activated resin that stays in liquid form in room temps. It's meant for stabilizing wood in a vacuum chamber. Since it doesn't cure until it's heated, you can leave the wood soaking under vacuum for days to maximize penetration. and ensure no bubbles cure in the wood fibers
In the sod huts built the early settlers they couldn't afford glass for windows. So they used oiled parchment paper to cover the opening and let in light.
C'mon, clear wood is easy. Get some wood, soak it in stuff for like some hours, call it names, dip it in resin or whatever, and wham. The wham is the important part.
i recommend to cover any container with highly volatile chemicals. this prevents the 'smells like a methlab neighbour issue' as well as preserves the chemical for further use 😉
Cool "just because I can" project but considering the properties of the materials being used it has no advantage over glass or acrylic window material.
"eco friendly". Glass itself is "eco friendly", but there's more to it that just being transparent. Is it scratch resistant? Shatter proof? Will it hold up to rock? Branch? A bullet? This is neat, but no one would install it on their house.
@Steve Gracy Not really all the chemicals and epoxy made it way more environment unfriendly then glass. Yes glass needs a lot of energy but at least you can recycle it quit easy if it breaks and if it does not break it last for ever, there are church windows hundreds of years old
The sharp up close but diffuse at a distance lenticular effect the wood grain gives could make for great LED diffusion. By moving a screen behind this it could go from just a deep glow to legible words and back.
This is why "new battery tech" never gets released for like 50 years. It's a simple idea discovered, but refining and perfecting the skills to make it work every time... instead of making mistakes takes ages!
I suggest vacuum infusion in a bag. Seal the wood in a bag with flow mesh and affix two tubes. on opposite sides. One goes into a vat of degassed epoxy and one goes into your vacuum chamber. It'll suck the epoxy through like a straw and infiltrate all the empty spaces in the wood, without leaving a thick excess layer of resin.
I'm not sure whether you are crazy or brilliant, but have decided it is both. Well done for the tenacity and enthusiasm in the face of so many setbacks. That is how progress is made. x
if you want to make a gasket for the vacuum chamber use silicone and corn flour mix together till you get a playdogh and then shape it over your rim and let it dry it will seal really well
One thing you could try is to create a thin but tall tray for the piece of wood for vacuuming. Then you would put the piece of wood in resin with the grain vertically. Maybe that would help suck the thinner out and the resin into the wood, like a straw. I'm thinking the slightly less transparent pale streaks in the amazing piece might be some tiny tiny bubbles that didn't find a way out.
Not to make you stress more, but I wonder what balsa wood would do? Or whatever wood has the finest grains. Seems that the grain size is a huge portion of it. Also to anyone criticizing your energy and "happiness"... I say you are infectious and amazing! I love the energy. Pure joy and excitement of discovery. Too many people lose that and I hope you never do! Stay you, stay exited, stay wonderous! 😊
i remember that paper. they used a very thin endgrain of 'i forget wood ' and it was semi transparent at best. i think there a follow-up paper addressing how it didn't work much with quarter or face grain.
