Y

Ch e
t ry
H its
mi
I t s Ma r k
s

PHOTOS BY MIGUEL CRUZ

our heart is pounding
as your adrenalin skyrockets.
Projectiles whiz past your head as you
dive for cover behind a makeshift ply- By Brian Rohrig
wood barrier. You return fire, but you know
you are outnumbered. The enemy is closing in. Paintballs
Suddenly, you’re hit. You reach for the wound. Paintballs are a marvel of both engineering and chemistry. They must be
Your fingers are covered in a sticky red liquid. You strong enough to be fired at an initial velocity of up to 91 m/s (200 mph) without
have become another casualty. Fortunately, the red liquid breaking, yet burst open when they hit someone without causing any tissue dam-
is not blood, and the battle you have bravely fought is not age beyond mild bruising. The deformation of the paintball on contact greatly
actual combat—it is the exhilarating sport of paintball! increases its stopping time, thus lessening the force (and the sting) of its
The first paintballs were fired by foresters and ranchers impact. To accomplish this task, paintballs are made with a tough but elastic
to mark trees and cattle. Then someone got the bright idea that outer coating of gelatin, with a liquid center. The process by which liquids are
it would be more fun to fire paintballs at people than at trees manufactured within a gelatin shell is known as encapsulation.
and cows. Thus the sport of paintball was born. From its incep- Encapsulation technology originated with the pharmaceutical industry.
tion in the 1980s, the sport has grown by leaps and bounds. The process involves enclosing a substance—either liquid or solid—within a
Today, over 10 million people participate annually in paintball thin transparent gelatin membrane. These capsules are commonly called soft
games. Over 1 billion paintballs are produced each year! gels, since they are somewhat elastic and give a little when squeezed. Soft gels
Although there are numerous variations, players typi- are commonly used for medicine, vitamins, bath oil beads, and a variety of
cally attempt to capture an opponent’s flag without being shot other applications.
by a paintball. The first team to capture the opponent’s flag Gelatin is made from denatured collagen
and return it safely to their territory is the winner. The fibers, which are derived from the skin, bones,
action is fast and furious, with a typical game lasting and connective tissue of animals. The gelatin for
anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes. Sound dangerous? paintballs is usually made from pig skins, which
Other than a little bruising, it’s actually safer than tend to make the best paintball. A plasticizer is
golf because of the protective face gear that all also added to increase stability and make the
players are required to wear. And the game gelatin more moldable. The gelatin-
itself would not be possible without—you plasticizer ratio is formulated so as to
guessed it—chemistry! establish the optimal balance between
elasticity and brittleness, enabling the
paintball to break open on impact yet
not break when initially fired.
MIKE CIESIELSKI

4 ChemMatters, APRIL 2007 http://chemistry.org/education/chemmatters.html

 Though technically not water soluble, gelatin does break down in As you can see, paintballs
water to form a colloidal gel. That is why it is so important to keep are not really made from paint,
paintballs dry. Gelatin is used in a variety of foods. Jell-O, marshmal- but rather from a mixture of non-
lows, gummy bears, ice cream, yogurt, cream cheese, and margarine all toxic food grade ingredients. The exact
contain gelatin. Its unique constitution helps to give foods thickness and combination of ingredients is a trade
texture. And it provides the perfect medium to keep the paintball secret but we do know that in addition to
intact—until it hits you! polyethylene glycol, they also contain col-
A typical paintball is 68 caliber, meaning its diameter is 0.68 inches ored food dyes, preservatives, and a thickener such as
(1.7 cm). They are also available in other sizes as well. Paintballs come starch or wax. The ingredients within the paintball are
in a variety of colors; some glow in the dark, others fluoresce under also biodegradable, so they pose no threat to wildlife or
black light. the environment.
The first paintballs were not water soluble, since they were similar
to the original formulation which was used to mark trees and cattle. Bonding with your paintballs
When a forester marks a tree, it is important that rain not wash off the What makes paintballs water soluble? The answer lies in polarity
mark. The first paintball contests resulted in a lot of stained and ruined and hydrogen bonding. Water is a polar substance that has distinct
clothing, to the chagrin of many parents. regions of positive and negative charge. Water’s polarity is due to the
In the mid-1980s, the paintball manufacturers decided to make a differences in electronegativity between oxygen and hydrogen. Elec-
water-soluble paintball. This was a daunting task, since the “paint” for tronegativity, as defined by the late American chemist Linus Pauling, is
the paintballs could not contain any water or else they would break “the power of an atom in a molecule to attract electrons to itself.” Oxy-
down the gelatin shell. This feat was accomplished by using water-sol-
uble compounds, but not water itself. And once paintballs became water δ-
soluble, the popularity of the sport skyrocketed.
After much research, it was determined that polyethylene glycol δ-

••
••
(PEG) would be an excellent substance for the liquid inside of a paintball. O
Polyethylene glycol is a tasteless, colorless, and nearly odorless δ+ δ+ δ+ δ+
compound that dissolves in water but has no effect on the gelatin shell. H H
PEG is very viscous, meaning it Lewis diagram Space-filling diagram
flows slowly. Its thick syrupy con- Lewis Diagram Space-filling diagram
O
sistency makes it perfect for use Two representations of water, showing regions of partial charges.
H OH
in paintballs; they have a consis-
tency somewhat like blood when n
they break open. polyethylene glycol, PEG Are all molecules with polar bonds polar?
The answer is no; in some cases, the polarity of the bonds is effec-
That’s swell
tively cancelled. Consider a CO2 molecule. Oxygen is more elec-
If a paintball is dropped into a beaker of water, it will expand to an tronegative than carbon, so the covalent bond between the two
impressive size. Through osmosis, water will pass through the gelatin atoms is polar. This is called a polar covalent bond; the O-H bond in
membrane and hydrogen bond with the polyethylene glycol within. a water molecule is also polar covalent. The polar nature of this bond
Since the concentration of water is much greater outside of the paintball is indicated by the arrow ( ) in the figure below. But the linear
than inside, water will diffuse inward in an attempt to equalize the con- nature of the CO2 molecule dictates that, overall, the molecule is non-
centration of water. Water will continue to travel through the gelatin polar. That’s because while one oxygen atom is drawing bonding
membrane until the concen- electrons toward itself, the oxygen atom on the other side of the mol-
Membrane tration of water inside the ecule is doing the same thing; the net effect is that they cancel each
paintball is equal to the con- other out. That makes CO2 a nonpolar molecule.
centration of the water on
the outside of the paintball.
However, as it swells the
••

Outside
••••

the paintball gelatin shell will break down,

Inside O C O
••

the paintball
spilling the contents before
equilibrium is reached.
Lewis Diagram Space-filling diagram

High WATER Low WATER Two representations of CO2, showing an overall nonpolar molecule.
concentration concentration
CESAR CAMINERO

Direction of movement
So when predicting the polarity of a molecule, the shape must
be considered. Often, molecules that are symmetrical will be nonpo-
lar even if polar bonds are present.
Osmosis: a paintball swells up when placed
in water.

ChemMatters, APRIL 2007 5

 gen is more electronegative than of the intermolecular forces. The hydrogen bonds between water mole-
hydrogen, so it attracts elec- cules are responsible for its unusually high boiling point.
trons to itself more strongly The dyes used in paintballs are also polar and water soluble. The
than does hydrogen. For a polar nature of the polyethylene glycol enables these water-soluble dyes
water molecule, this creates to be dissolved within the paintball. We can’t show you the structures of
a region of partial negative the dyes because they are proprietary—that means a closely guarded
charge (d-) on the side of secret. But the colored dyes and the polyethylene glycol are water solu-
the oxygen atom, and a ble, so today, when a paintball combatant returns from the field of battle
region of partial positive and her clothes are splattered with paint, they simply need to be thrown
charge (d+) on the side of into the wash and they will generally come out clean—though it may
the hydrogen atoms. take more than one washing!
Because of the shape of the
water molecule, these polar Magic markers
bonds make the molecule polar The firing instruments used to shoot the paintballs
overall. have come a long way since the game began.
Polar molecules are attracted to Known as markers rather than
MI
GU
EL C
other polar molecules. This attraction is guns, they have evolved
RUZ
due to the positive side of a polar molecule from hand-cocked,
being attracted to the negative side of another polar molecule. This single-shot pistols
attraction is the basis of the intermolecular bonding that may occur into rapid-firing,
when one substance dissolves into another. This tendency is summed high-precision instru-
up nicely in the principle “like dissolves like,” meaning that polar sub- ments. The “marker”
stances dissolve in other polar substances. term arose from the
We can take a closer look at the interaction between water and first use of paintballs,
polyethylene glycol molecules. The oxygen atoms in the polyethylene which was to mark trees
glycol chain each have two nonbonding electron pairs. The partial posi- and cattle. The term also
tive charges around the hydrogen atoms in water are attracted by these gives the sport of paintball a
less violent image.
••

••

The markers come in a

AGES
••

••

O O

ER IM
variety of makes and models—

JUPIT
H H H H from pistols to semiautomatic rifles.
••

Some models can fire 100 paintballs

••

O at 30 per second using a single 12-

H H gram CO2 cartridge. Extra large hoppers (the storage chamber that holds
Hydrogen bonding between water molecules.
the paintballs before they are fired) can hold up to 250 paintballs. Fully
automatic models are available, but these are prohibited on most playing
fields. There are even paintball “landmines” that will spray paint all over
nonbonding electrons. This particular type of intermolecular attraction is whoever is unfortunate enough to step on one.
called a hydrogen bond. Hydrogen bonds occur when a hydrogen atom Markers all operate on the same basic principle—using compressed
attached to a small, highly electronegative atom (typically F, N, or O) is gas to launch a paintball. Gases can be readily compressed because there
in the vicinity of an atom with nonbonding electron pairs. Although not is so much space between the molecules. When the marker is cocked, a
as strong as covalent or ionic bonds, hydrogen bonds are the strongest paintball falls from the hopper into the barrel. When the trigger is pulled, a
quick blast of compressed gas is released directly behind the paintball,
propelling it forward at an initial velocity up to 91 m/s.

It’s a gas
The most common gas used in paintball markers is compressed
CO2. The CO2 within a gas canister is at an
extremely high pressure—around
800–850 psi (pounds per square inch). At
this pressure, however, CO2 will actually
Volume

liquefy. So, within the high-pressure con-

fines of a gas cartridge, much of the CO2
will typically exist as a liquid. The liquid is
Hydrogen bonding (blue lines) between polyethylene glycol and water. Pressure
Hydrogen bonds are about 1/15th the strength of a covalent bond. actually responsible for controlling the
Red = oxygen atoms, grey = carbon atoms, and white = hydrogen atoms. pressure of the CO2. As long as there is Boyle’s Law

6 ChemMatters, APRIL 2007 http://chemistry.org/education/chemmatters.html

some liquid present, the pressure of the gas in contact with the liquid only is immensely entertaining, but
will remain constant. The pressure of the gas will equal the vapor pres- also teaches strategy, builds team-
sure of the liquid. Thus, the pressure of the CO2 will stay constant for work, and provides great
each shot; if there were no liquid present, releasing the gas would exercise. And if that upcoming
decrease the pressure of the remaining gas. However, if the chemistry test is stressing you
marker is fired many times in succession, the pressure will tem- out, there is no better way to
porarily drop since it takes some time for the liquid CO2 to vapor- relieve that stress than by
ize and restore the pressure. heading to the woods with
The vapor pressure of CO2 at room temperature some friends and blasting each
is about 60 times atmospheric pressure. To prevent a other with spheres of brightly
canister from exploding under high pressure, colored gelatin-encapsulated
CO2 tanks are fitted with a copper burst disk solutions of pigment-infused poly-
that is made to pop off if ethylene glycol!

Can you find the

the pressure exceeds a safe

density of a paintball?
level. This varies
between 2200 psi Z

Ten tips from

CRU
MIGUEL
and 2800 psi, depending on

tourney players
the manufacturer.
When a small Paintballs come in various sizes, but a typical paintball will have a
amount of this gas is diameter of 1.7 cm and a mass of 3.1 grams. Can you determine the
released, it expands density of a paintball? The formula for the volume of a sphere is 4/3 p r3.
greatly, since it is now The formula for density is m/v. Get in shape: It’s a physical sport.
under much less pres- You can find the answer on page 20. Eat well, stay active, and cut bad
sure. Boyle’s law states that the habits such as smoking.
volume of a gas is inversely pro- Protect yourself: Cover up with
appropriate gear to prevent bruises or a
portional to its pressure, so long as blood clot.
the temperature is held constant. Inversely
Know the rules and abide by the do’s and don’ts.
proportional means that when one factor Be a good sport.
decreases, the other increases. When the volume of a Learn to shoot with either hand. This increases
gas goes down, its pressure goes up. Likewise, when the your mobility.
pressure decreases, the volume increases. Be unpredictable: Make yourself a harder target for
The paintball is propelled forward by the increase in the volume of the competition.
the CO2, which is due to the decrease in pressure the gas experiences Prepare: Study the game and walk the field. Pack
as it leaves the cartridge and enters the firing chamber. The only thing your gear the night before.
standing in the way of the expanding gas is the paintball, which is Communicate with team members. Tournament
players yell at each other constantly.
launched effortlessly through the air.
Practice: Simple drills can improve your aim.
Just do it. Be safe: Always wear your mask, listen to the ref,
and follow the rules of the field.
The sport of paintball is highly addictive. Serious players can
Always treat a marker as if it is loaded.
spend hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on
high-tech gear. There are numerous organized
leagues and tournaments in nearly every
state and in countries around the
world. REFERENCES
Even the U.S. Army is Chemical Institute of Canada.
getting into the game; they http://ncwsnc.cheminst.ca/articles/1994_paintballs_e.html (accessed
have made an arrangement Feb 2007). Paintballs and Canadian National Chemistry Week.
to sponsor the Long Island Enotes.com. http://science.enotes.com/how-products-
encyclopedia/paintball (accessed Feb 2007). How paintballs are
Big Game, to be held made.
May 19–20, 2007, Madpaintballer.com.
in New York. Orga- http://www.madpaintballer.com/make_paintballs.php (accessed Feb
nizers expect over 2007). How to make paintballs and more.
2000 players, and the
game will feature tanks, a heli-
copter, missions, and prizes.
Brian Rohrig teaches at Jonathan Alder High School in Plain City, OH. His most
A few bruises are a small recent ChemMatters article, “NASCAR: Chemistry on the Fast Track,” appeared
price to pay for a sport that not in the February 2007 issue.

ChemMatters, APRIL 2007 7