Creating the perfect set of acrylics could be considered an art, but the foundation behind it is found in the science. NAILS breaks down the chemistry behind liquid-and-powder in laymen's terms.
Mixing and Matching=Mixed-Up Mix Ratios (A Bad Idea)
When you mix and match liquids and powders from different manufacturers or product lines, it’s like using the wrong mix ratio. The reasons:
> Different powders have different chemical compositions, including different levels of initiator and catalyst.
> Too little initiator may weaken the enhancement or cause an allergic reaction.
> Too much initiator increases the risk of brittleness and discoloration.
> Mismatched liquid and powder can result in unreacted monomer. This monomer can soak through
the nail bed to cause an allergic reaction.
The composition of a powder particle, like the one shown magnified here, varies greatly from manufacturer to manufacturer.
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Chain Reaction
liquid mixed with powder -> the catalyst (in the liquid) breaks the initiator (in the powder) in half, creating two free radicals-> each free radical combines with a monomer, energizing it -> the energized monomer attaches to another monomer creating a covalent bond (the strongest type of chemical bond) >energy passes to the new partner monomer -> the second monomer attaches to another monomer creating a covalent bond, and on, and on, and on, creating long polymer chains -> the chains wrap around and encase each polymer powder bead, fusing the beads into the acrylic nail ->the reaction ends when there are no monomers remaining
Magnified powder beads are shown coated with whitener TiO2 and initiator benzoyl peroxide.
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