Magic Sand Remains Dry After Being Submerged in Water.

Aha! I remember wondering about this after seeing it in multicolored toy form on a nickelodeon commercial a long time ago. Of course this was long before I knew the formula:(Question + Internet = Answer).

Amazing. But I though hydrophobic meant you had rabies.

"Hydrophobia" literally means "fear of water". It is one of the symptoms of rabies.

In science, hydrophobic means water-hating. Lipids or fats, for instance, are hydrophobic. The opposite is hydrophilic or water-loving.

In what situation would the magic sand be deployed? its awesome and all, but what practical use is it for?

Wyvern, the funniest use of magic sand (as written in the Chemistry.org article) was:

"Magic sand has also been tested by utility companies in the Arctic. The utilities bury electric and telephone wires to protect them from the harsh weather. However, if something needs repair during the winter, digging through frozen Arctic soil normally requires hours of work with power tools. To speed underground repairs, utility companies can cover electrical junction boxes with magic sand and cap the sand with just a few inches of soil. Rainwater flows around, not through, the magic sand and, when the soil freezes solid, the magic sand remains dry and loose. It is easy to break through the frozen cap, then shovel away the loose magic sand."

Magic sand was originally used for cleaning oil spils because it would gather together all the oil then sink. But that cost too much, so they dont use magic sand like that anymore.