eli5: how does sulphuric acid melt stuff?
In: Chemistry
It reacts with the material, and converts it to something different, which depending on what happens exactly can look like melting.
It can only react with certain materials, that’s why nothing happens with glass or many plastics.
For things like cotton the reaction is a bit like burning, and you end up with (black stained) holes, where the acid could react with the cotton.
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