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Do-It-Yourself "Slime" By Steven Spangler

Category: Misc

Author: The Savvybearcat

Date: 1/1/2007

Rating:

(3.0) by 1 users

Ingredients:

2 tsp Guar Gum
1 tbsp Borax
Water
Mixing bowl
Food coloring
2 Empty plastic soda bottles to store the liquids
Zipper lock bag

Instructions:

Making The Borax Water: Borax is a type of powder soap that is
available in most grocery stores. Add 1 tablespoon Borax powder to 1
cup of water. Stir until most of the powder dissolves. Store the
Borax Water in a jar or bottle, and label the container "BORAX &
WATER MIXTURE". Remember that one cup of Borax Water will make many
batches of "SLIME".

Preparing The Guar Gum (available at health food stores): Measure 4
cups (approximately 1 liter) of warm water into a large mixing bowl.
Add 10 drops of food coloring - possibly green! SLOWLY (very slowly)
stir in 2 teaspoons of guar gum. This fine powder has a tendency to
clump up if it is not stirred into the water slowly. After thoroughly
mixing, pour the guar gum mixture into a soda bottle and label it
appropriately.

Making Slime: Pour 1/2 cup of the guar gum mixture into a clean
zipper-lock bag. Add 1 teaspoon of the Borax Water mixture that you
made previously. Seal the bag and shake. Within seconds you'll have
prepared your very own batch of SLIME! This gooey mixture will
retain its slimy properties for 1-2 days before finally turning into
a watery mess. When the SLIME is no longer good, seal it in the
zipper-lock bag and throw it away. Do not pour it down the drain.

How Does It Work: It's gooey, slippery, sticky, really slimy and
kids love it! Make up a batch of SLIME and you'll be the hit of any
party.

The mixture of guar gum with Borax and water produces a slime-like
material called a polymer. In simplest terms, a polymer is a long
chain of molecules. As a model for these chains of molecules,
picture in your mind strands of cooked spaghetti. If the polymer
chains slide past each other easily, then the substance acts like a
liquid because the molecules flow. If the molecules hook together at
a few places along the strand, then the substance behaves like a
rubbery solid called an elastomer. Borax is the chemical that is
responsible for hooking the guar gum molecules together to form the
SLIME.

Guar gum is actually a vegetable gum commonly used as a thickening
agent in various food products and cosmetics. Additional guar gum may
be purchased at a health food store. The guar gum and water mixture
may only last a few days. You can prolong the shelf life of the
mixture by keeping it in the refrigerator.

SAFETY PRECAUTIONS WITH CHEMICALS: Although these substances are not
considered hazardous, you should treat all chemicals with care and
wash your hands after handling. Do not taste or eat any of the
materials described in these activities. Do not pour any of these
experiments down the sink. Clean up any spill immediately.

Source: Mad Scientist 1995 Girl Scout Day Camp