Introduction
White glue or polyvinyl acetate can be converted into gel glue or polyvinyl alcohol through a base induced hydrolysis reaction. Polyvinyl acetate, sodium hydroxide and ethanol are combined, heated and stirred for 30 minutes. The base induced hydrolysis reaction yields polyvinyl alcohol and sodium acetate. The overall reaction is summarized in the reaction scheme below: It shows that upon addition of our base, sodium hydroxide, the polyvinyl acetate is broken into two parts. The red atoms signify the parts of the sodium hydroxide that have been added to the two products of this reaction.