Non-Newtonian fluids are fascinating for all ages and provide an opportunity to learn more about chemistry. In this article, 4 methods for preparing slime are taught; So that you can easily make slime. One of the quick ways to make slime is using different materials, such as glue and borax, corn starch, skim milk, shampoo, etc.

The first instruction for making slime: preparing slime with polyvinyl alcohol and borax

ingredients:

• Polyvinyl alcohol
• Borax (sodium tetraborate)
• eatable color
• 1 bowl

How to prepare:

• First, pour half a glass of polyvinyl alcohol polymer solution (PVA) into a bowl. If you want colored slime, add food coloring to the PVA solution and stir with a stick (like a popsicle stick).
• Add 2 tablespoons of borax to the PVA solution and stir gently.
• Then the gel that is formed, lift and pull slowly with a stick. Write down what happens.
• If the slime is formed, you can play with it.

Attention! Do not eat the slime under any circumstances.

If you put the slime in a closed container and store it in the freezer, the lifespan of your slime will increase; Otherwise, your slime will dry out and stay the same.

What happens chemically to form slime in this way?

Polyvinyl alcohol solution (PVA) is a polymer solution; This means that the chains of this polymer are formed by putting together a large number of molecules. Sodium tetraborate forms hydrogen bonds with the oxygens of the polyvinyl alcohol chain. Hydrogen bonds link the polyvinyl alcohol chains together. Since the hydrogen bonds are weak, the hydrogen bonds are easily broken by holding the slime still in the hand or dropping it on the bottom of the container.

The second instruction for making slime: preparing slime with milk and vinegar

ingredients:

• skimmed milk
• Vinegar
• baking soda
• Coffee filter

How to prepare:

• Pour 7 tablespoons of skim milk into a glass, and add a tablespoon of vinegar to it. Stir gently until a clot forms.
• Let the clots settle to the bottom of the container.
• Then remove the clot using a coffee filter.
• Add about a quarter of a teaspoon of baking soda to the milk clots and then knead to create a slime-like mixture.

Chemically, what happens to form slime in this way?

When vinegar is added to milk, it causes the milk protein – casein – which is a type of polymer, to separate from the other liquid parts of the milk and separate from the solution as a solid compound. Casein is used in the production of glues, paints, and even some plastics. Adding baking soda is able to neutralize the acid added to the environment – vinegar, which is acetic acid – which causes the casein to return to a soluble state.

The third instruction for making slime: making slime with corn starch and water

This method is a method that without glue or borax can lead to the preparation of a non-Newtonian fluid similar to slime.

ingredients:

• Corn starch
• Water
• a bowl

How to prepare:

• Mix a small amount of corn starch and water in a ratio of 2 to 1 in a plastic bowl until it becomes creamy and has a consistency like honey. (In general, it is better to add water little by little from the beginning so that we can reach the required consistency)

If you place your hand on this material slowly and release it, your hand will sink into the material easily; But if you shake your hand, the material resists and behaves like a solid rigid body.

What happens in slime made with starch that reacts to movement like this?

A solution of starch and water is a non-Newtonian fluid. The behavior and viscosity of Newtonian fluids changes by changing the type of force applied to them. The viscosity of Newtonian fluids depends on temperature and pressure, not the mechanical force applied to them.

The fourth instruction for making slime: preparing slime with shampoo and corn starch

ingredients:

• Half a glass of shampoo
• A quarter cup of corn starch
• eatable color
• Water

How to prepare:

• Mix shampoo and starch together.
• If desired, add 3-4 drops of food coloring.
• Add a tablespoon of water to the mixture and stir.
• Then add 5 tablespoons of water.
• Knead the slime for 5 minutes.
• Store in a place that does not get much open air (because it dries).