why do erasers remove graphite so well?
In: Chemistry
The eraser is a mix of rubber (or some other polymer with similar properties), and abrasives (think of really small grains of sand). When you rub the eraser, those abrasives scratch the surface of the paper, and loosen the particles of graphite on its surface. Also, the friction heats the rubber in contact with the paper, it gets sticky, and is separated from the eraser.
Then you end up with those remains of the eraser, that you need to clean. That is basically the rubber + graphite + paper fiber.
Next question: What is it about those awful erasers that just smudge the paper that make them do it?
Graphite is attached to paper relatively loosely, because paper isn’t sticky. When you rub an eraser, the friction heats it up and causes it to melt slightly, becoming sticky. The graphite ditches the paper to be on the sticky eraser, then this part of the eraser falls off.
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