Hydrogen bonds
Making slime
‘Slime’ is a polymer made from two monomers. The monomers are borate ions, [B(OH)4]- and
ethenol, CH2CH(OH). You can make it easily by following these instructions.
Requirements
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Polystyrene cup
10 cm3 4% sodium borate solution
50 cm3 4% poly(ethenol) solution
Wooden stick for stirring
50 cm3 measuring cylinder
10 cm3 measuring cylinder
A few drops of food colouring
Disposable gloves.
What you do
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Put on the disposable gloves.
Measure the poly(ethenol) solution out and pour it into the cup.
Add a few drops of your chosen food colour.
Stir.
Measure out the sodium borate solution and add it to the cup.
Stir the mixture vigorously.
Keep stirring.
After about two minutes a gel forms. Pour this out on to the bench.
Investigate the properties of the slime.
Questions
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What properties does slime have?
What is the structure of slime? Use the monomer formulae to help work this out.
What types of intermolecular bonds might be present in slime?
What uses can you think of for slime?
How might changing the properties slightly make the polymer more useful?