CH151 Alien Slime Teacher Kit
Jacob Laser
Learning goal: Students will use chemical assays to identify the composition of 4 different
green slimes. This will help them with measuring skills and gaining a basic understanding
of chemical forensic analysis.
Recommended grades: 6-7
Estimated duration: 40 minutes
Key concepts and definition of terms:
Viscosity = How much a substance resists flowing. Thickness
Surface tension = the skin formed on the surface of a fluid caused by intermolecular
attraction of the surface molecule to the rest of the liquid.
Surface tension disruptor = a substance like soap disrupts the hydrogen bonds in water
Red cabbage juice turns pink in the presence of an acid, and blue in the presence of a base.
Density = amount of mass in a given volume
pH = A pH below 7 is acidic, a pH above 7 is acid and a pH of 7 is neutral. All solutions are
acidic, basic, or neutral.
What happens and why:
I am majoring in alien studies at Colby. My professor gave me four samples of alien slime,
but the labels all melted off when I went outside in the rain. I need the students help to
identify which slime sample belongs to which alien. The students will test the slimes for
density using a balance. They will then test the viscosity by timing how long it takes a bead
to sink to the bottom of a cup filled with each substance. Next they do a surface tension and
polarity test by dropping the slime in a cup of water with grains of pepper on top. If it
dissolves it is polar, if not it is nonpolar. The soap will break the surface tension and make
the pepper grains drop.
Materials for 25 kids (11 pairs and one triple)
3 bottles tanning oil
4 Kool-Aid Packets
1 box corn starch
Tap water
Green food coloring
3 bottles of green dish soap
3 bottles of corn syrup
1 large beaker
8 medium size clear plastic cups
4 pepper shakers
4 1 liter jugs
4 spoons
4 cuvettes (or soda bottle caps)
1 10 ml graduated cylinder
1 flat balance
48 Popsicle sticks
96 weigh dishes
96 eye droppers
1 flat balance
4 small bottles of iodine (available at many drug stores)
1 medium bottle of red cabbage juice
Safety information:
Do not drink any of the slimes.
They are all safe to touch with hands unless someone has a specific allergy.
Before you start the lab make your slimes and your cabbage juice
 Slime 1: In a 1 liter bottle mix approximately 900 ml of tanning oil with 4
packets of lime Koolaid and shake vigorously. The result should be a clear
matrix with suspended green particles.
 For slime 2: in a beaker mix 4 parts corn starch to 3 parts water or until you
get the consistency of thick mucus.
 Add 4-6 drops of green food coloring and mix and transfer approximately
900 ml to a 1 liter bottle.
 For slime 3: simply pour 900 ml of green soap into a 1 liter bottle
 For slime 4: wash out the beaker and fill with corn syrup and 4-6 drops of
green food coloring. Mix well and transfer 900 ml to a 1 liter bottle.
 Indicator: Place half a head of red cabbage in a pot. Cover in water and boil
until the water turns a dark purple. Strain the liquid with a fine colander.
Procedure
Introduce four slimes
 Explain that you need help analyzing three samples of alien slime.
 Fill 4 cups half way with each slime and mark it with its corresponding
number, given above.
 Pass out lab sheet
Measure volume of a single cuvette, about 4 ml.
 Fill the cuvette until the edges of the meniscus reach the very top of the
container
 Dump contents into graduated cylinder
 Have one student come up and read the volume from the bottom of the
meniscus
 Record the cuvette volume on the board
Test masses of each slime
 Have another student record the mass of a single dry cuvette
 Record the mass on the board

Have four more students fill one of the cuvettes with one of the slimes out of
a plastic cup cup using a plastic spoon. Make sure no slime is stuck to the
outside of the cuvette.
 Mass each slime sample; remember to subtract the mass of the cuvette.
Calculate density
 Have the students divide the mass of each substance by the volume of a
single cuvette to get the densities of each slime.
Show density column
 Dump the water out of the graduated cylinder and make a density column in
this order slime 4, slime 2, slime 3, slime 1
Test for surface tension
 Divide the class into four groups, one for each slime.
 Give each group a plastic cup
 Tell them to fill it with water and sprinkle pepper on top.
 Have them drop ¼ of a ml of their slime into the water and describe what
happens.
 Tell students to walk around and observe the others group’s cups
Test for starch
 give each group 1 weigh dish per student.
 Give each student ¼ of a ml of their group’s assigned slime in their weigh
dish.
 Pass around the iodine bottles and have the students put a drop of iodine in
the dish and have them mix it up with a popsicle stick
 If it turns black then it has starch
Test pH
 Give each student another weigh dish
 Give each student another ¼ ml of their group’s assigned substance
 Pass around the cabbage juice bottles and have each student put a drop into
his or her dish.
 A pink color means it is acidic, blue means it is basic, and purple means it is
neutral.
(Optional) have the kids draw their creatures
Draw creatures
 Announce that on this planet larger creature produce denser slime. Ones
with a density of about 9.5 are about the size of a rabbit, ones with a density
of about 1.1 are about the size of a dog, ones with density of about 1.4 are
about the size of a horse, and ones with a density of 1.6 are about the size of
an elephant.
 Explain that if it is a surface tension disruptor the creature has horns.
 Explain that if the slime dissolves the creature has a long tail and if not it has
a short tail.
 Explain the presence of starch means the creature has 4 legs, the absence of
starch means that it has 6 legs.
 The color of the cabbage juice is the color of the creature.
Alien Slime Identification Student Worksheet
Slime 1
Sample volume
_________________
Sample mass
__________________
Sample density
__________________
Is the slime
surface tension
disruptor? Y/N
Slime 2
Sample volume
____________________
Sample mass
____________________
Sample density
____________________
Is the slime
surface tension
disruptor? Y/N
Slime 3
Sample volume
____________________
Sample mass
____________________
Sample density
____________________
Is the slime
surface tension
disruptor? Y/N
Slime 4
Sample volume
____________________
Sample mass
____________________
Sample density
____________________
Is the slime
surface tension
disruptor? Y/N
Does it dissolve in Does it dissolve in Does it dissolve in Does it dissolve in
water? Y/N
water? Y/N
water? Y/N
water? Y/N
Is starch present
in the slime? Y/N
Is starch present
in the slime? Y/N
Is starch present
in the slime? Y/N
Is starch present
in the slime? Y/N
The pH of the
slime is
Acidic
Basic
Neutral
The pH of the
slime is
Acidic
Basic
Neutral
The pH of the
slime is
Acidic
Basic
Neutral
The pH of the
slime is
Acidic
Basic
Neutral
This species is
This species is
This species is
This species is
about the size of a about the size of a about the size of a about the size of a
__________________
____________________ ____________________ ____________________
Horns? Y/N
Horns? Y/N
Horns? Y/N
Horns? Y/N
It has a
_______________ tail.
It has a
_______________ tail.
It has a
_______________ tail.
It has a
_______________ tail.
It has ____ legs.
It has ____ legs.
It has ____ legs.
It has ____ legs.
The creature is
____________
colored.
The creature is
____________
colored.
The creature is
____________
colored.
The creature is
____________
colored.