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by Roger Kovaciny on November 12th, 2006
Nail polish has colored molecules that are attached to resin molecules which only dissolve in acetone, not water, oil, or alcohol. (Just think of engine grease: you can't wash it off your hands with plain water because water doesn't dissolve it.) The colored resins are dissolved in acetone and go on your fingernails, and the acetone evaporates. When you want to wash off the colored resins, you get polish remover, which is nearly pure acetone, and it reverses the process.
The reason is that molecules have more or less static electricity at the end, and certain kinds fit together like a key into a lock. Others just bounce off.
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