Polymers, Polymers, and More Polymers! (Polymer Lab)

Question: What happens when you mix Elmer's Glue and Borax?
Hypothesis: I think that the solution will become a polymer.

Here's a list of the materials you need
- 25 mL Elmer's Glue
- 600 mL beaker
- 250 mL beaker
- spoon/table spoon
- graduated cylinder
- 2 drops food coloring
- 1 tbsp (table spoon) borax powder
- stirring rod
- water

Procedure:
Gather the materials above and set upon a clean level surface. Form a question and hypothesis. Measure 100 mL of water into the 600 mL beaker. Add 1 spoon (tbsp) of borax powder to the 100 mL of water. Stir this solution thoroughly. Measure 25 mL of Elmer's Glue directly into the 250 mL beaker. Add 5 mL of water and 2 drops of food coloring to the 250 mL beaker. Gently stir this solution. Using the graduated cylinder add 40 mL of the borax solution to the glue solution. Stir vigorously. The solution will start to change it's appearance. Pull the new polymer out of the 250 mL beaker and set it on the clean level surface. Dispose of the liquid and runny stuff from the beakers. Experiment with the polymer as desired. Form a conclusion.

Results:
We noticed that the borax would not completely and thoroughly dissolve in the water. What did dissolve dissolved very slowly. When we mixed the borax and glue the solution became a slightly sticky, very slimy, green mess.
 Before we added the borax to the glue the glue was slightly runny and a little bit clumpy. After we added the borax it became extremely clumpy and a very slick substance.

My group conducted a series of tests to see what kind of characteristics this polymer had.
Our polymer felt slightly sticky, slimy, and cool. It looked like a deflated balloon. It smelled just like glue. If I were to rate it on its sliminess from 1 to 5, 1 being not slimy and 5 being extremely slimy, I would give it a 5.
When we pocked into it slowly it let our finger through most of the way. When we did a rapid poke it was even harder and seemed to be trying to reject our finger.
When we slowly pulled on the polymer i slowly stretched out. It wasn't very long before it reached it's farthest extent and snapped in half. When we rapidly pulled on our polymer it snapped much faster.
When we rolled the polymer into a ball and set the it on the table it took about 10 sec for the bottom to flatten out.
We dropped our polymer from 30 cm above our table and it bounced quiet well about 5 times.


How is slime visco-elastic?
Slime extremely visco-elastic.
What are the physical properties that change as a result of adding borax to the glue?
It became sort of deflated looking and more of a solid than a liquid.
What would happen if you added more borax?
I think that we would have had a less slimy polymer, and that it would have felt more rubbery.
How does water effect the elasticy? What is elasticy?
Elasticy is when something is stretchable. I think that the water is what may take away from the elasticy.

In this diagram I have circled the repeating unit.

What is the structural formula of the polymer circled above?

OH+H3+C2

 Circle the Borax linking agent in the diagram below.

This is a diagram of the glue before.

This is a diagram of the glue after adding borax and stirring.

This is what a polymer looks like.

Polymer rolled into a ball.

Conclusion:
I think that a polymer is a really interesting thing. I think that if I were to do this again I think I would add more borax. It might make the substance more or less slimy and sleek. It could change the flexibility or the physical appearance.
I am really glad we got to learn about polymers. it was fun to create one. We got an opportunity to do hands on. I might try it at home again.