In the scientific world, instant adhesives are called cyanoacrylate. It is any of cyan acrylic esters that cures really fast to form a strong adhesive bond. This kind of adhesive is popularly known under trade names as crazy glue and super glue. Regardless of the name, they are all called cyanoacrylate that bond almost in an instant to a wide variety of substrates, such as plastic, glass and metal. They are also known to bond to skin, providing a very strong bond to be exact, making them a preferred adhesive for surgeons when closing incisions. The same holds true when it comes to funeral undertakers when sealing lips and even the eyes of dead bodies.
Due to the extreme polar nature of the ester and nitrite groups used in formulating instant adhesives, they quickly react to most basic surfaces, more so in the presence of moisture. The molecules of the cyanoacrylate readily polymerize or link together, forming strong chainlike molecules that are also glassy resins that efficiently link close surfaces. This instant adhesion is due to the process called anionic polymerization that generates some amount of heat during the adhesion process.
In addition, what causes the instant adhesives to set quickly is the presence of moisture, meaning any exposure to normal humidity levels present in the ambient air, enables the formation of the thin skin-like molecules rapidly. This also significantly slows down the reaction between bonded surfaces. For the purposes of easy handling, instant adhesives are also formulated with other ingredients to transform it into a gel-like consistency. Fumed silica is the most common additive used for this purpose. In terms of applications, this adhesive works great in woodworking, coral fragging, tightening low shearing strength of pins and bolts, assembly of electronic parts and miniatures, and even forensic tools for fingerprint identification.