Microwaving Bioplastic

So, it turns out microwaving bioplastic isn't the smartest idea. You probably shouldn't do this experiment at home.

I put some Ag10 in the microwave for ten seconds. It became paler, more elastic, and more flexible. Then I did this two more times, each time becoming more flexible, paler, and elastic. I suspect (but don't know for certain) that the microwaves gave it more elasticity and flexibility because the microwaves jiggled the bonds between the molecules and created more space for them to move around. This is unlike before microwaving when they were a bit more constrained (this is exactly what a plasticizer does, btw). I also have no idea why it turned paler. Maybe it was the glycerol reacting? Or the agar?

Anyway, after three rounds of ten seconds, I wasn't seeing anything fun. So I decided to just nuke it a put it in for 30 seconds. This was a bad idea. The bioplastic started doing something in the middle, maybe burning, maybe not. It turned tary (if that's a word), sticky, and syrupy, and has stayed that way for more than a week. This is something you definitely don't want to touch. So to conclude, microwave-safe bioplastic might not exist for a little while longer.