Cyanoacrylate (C5H5NO2) is an acrylic resin that cures almost instantly. The only trigger, or catalyst, it requires are the hydroxyl ions in water. Since almost any substrate you may want to glue will at least have trace amounts of water on it’s surface CA will adhere to most anything.
When CA comes into contact with water it undergoes a process called anionic polymerization. In short this simply means the CA molecules start linking up into chains and these chains start whipping around to form a durable plastic mesh. The glue thickens and hardens until the thrashing molecule strands can no longer move.
2. What is the shelf life of CA?
If properly made and packaged CA can last – 2+ years (Mercury has no time frame to its warranty). The bottle that the CA is packaged in is a vital link to the shelf life of CA. Mercury Chemist have tested over 4500 different HDPE resins and there are only a handful that can properly store CA and isolate the liquid inside from the moisture in the air. The cap or closure is also very important to sealing out the water vapors that exist in the air we breathe. The Mercury bottle uses proprietary resins in the molding of the bottle and has a highly engineered triple seal closure to keep moisture out and the product fresh. This is another reason why Mercury is the only company that offers an unconditional warranty on their products.