Making Slime
Materials: ★☆☆ Easy to get from supermarket or hardware store
Difficulty: ★☆☆ Can be easily done by most teenagers
Safety: ★☆☆ Minimal safety procedures required
Categories: Kitchen Chemistry, Materials, Polymers
Alternative titles: Homemade Slime
Summary
This activity demonstrates polymer chemistry by making slime from glue, baking soda, and contact lens solution. Crosslinking between polymer chains in glue changes the liquid into a stretchy, rubbery material with unique properties.
Procedure
- In a mixing bowl, combine ½ cup of washable school glue with ½ cup of water. Add a few drops of food coloring if desired.
- Stir in ½ teaspoon of baking soda until dissolved.
- Add 2 tablespoons of contact lens solution (must contain boric acid and sodium borate) and stir vigorously.
- Continue stirring until the mixture thickens and begins to pull away from the bowl.
- Knead the slime with your hands for 5–10 minutes until it becomes less sticky and more elastic.
- Store finished slime in an airtight container to keep it from drying out.
Links
Let's Make Slime Snot 🤧 Science Experiment for Kids | Play School Science Time - ABC Kids:
7 Different Kinds of Slime | Science Experiments You Can Do at Home | Science Max #Slime - Science Max:
📄 How to Make Slime - Science Buddies: https://www.sciencebuddies.org/stem-activities/how-to-make-slime
Variations
- Add glitter for sparkly slime.
- Mix in glow-in-the-dark paint or thermochromic pigment for color-changing slime.
- Use tonic water for slime that glows under black light.
- Replace water with shaving cream to make “fluffy” slime.
- Adjust the amount of contact lens solution to change the slime’s texture and stretchiness.
Safety Precautions
- Wear safety goggles if working with children to prevent splashes.
- Do not eat slime or its ingredients.
- Wash hands after handling slime.
- Dispose of leftover slime in the trash—never down the drain, as it may clog pipes.
- Keep contact lens solution out of eyes; it contains borates which can be irritating.
Questions to Consider
- What role does the contact lens solution play in making slime? (It contains borate compounds that crosslink the glue’s polymers.)
- Why does kneading change the slime’s texture? (It allows the crosslinking reaction to progress evenly throughout the mixture.)
- How do added ingredients like shaving cream or glitter affect slime’s properties? (They change texture, appearance, and elasticity.)
- How is slime an example of a polymer? (It consists of long chains of molecules linked together, similar to plastics and rubbers.)