Did you know you can make your own slime or “goop” for a fun learning and play activity? Non-Newtonian liquids are fascinating for all ages and provide a great learning opportunity about chemistry.

Find four popular slime recipes below.

Simple Slime

This version of slime (or Gak) is made of glue and Borax.

What You Need:

School glue
Borax (Sodium tetraborate)
Food coloring (optional)
Water
Two bowls

What You Do:

In one bowl mix 1 oz. glue (about ¼ of the glue bottle) and ¼ cup water. If you want colored slime, add food coloring to the glue and water mixture. Lift some of the solution out of the container with the stir stick and note what happens.
Add ¼ cup of Sodium Tetraborate (Borax) Solution to the glue and water mixture and stir slowly.
The slime will begin to form immediately. Lift some of the solution with the stir stick and observe how the consistency has changed from Step 1.
Stir as much as you can, then dig in and knead it with your hands until it gets less sticky. This is a messy experience but is necessary because it
allows the two compounds to bond completely. Don't worry about any
leftover water in the bowl; just pour it out.
When not in use, store the slime in a plastic bag in the fridge to keep it
from growing mold.

WHAT HAPPENED:

The glue has an ingredient called polyvinyl acetate, which is a liquid polymer. The borax links the polyvinyl acetate molecules to each other, creating one large, flexible polymer. This kind of slime will get stiffer and more like putty the more you play with it. Experiment with different glues to see if they create slime (e.g., carpenter glue, tacky glue, etc.).

Super Slime

The second type of slime is the same clear gooey kind that you see in the
movies. This is the real gooey deal! (This slime is non-toxic, but still keep these chemicals away from unsupervised children and wash your hands after playing with the slime.)

What You Need:

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)
Borax (Sodium tetraborate)
Beaker or jar
Food coloring (optional)

What You Do:

Pour ½ cup of the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) solution into a beaker, jar, or bowl. If you want colored slime, add food coloring to the PVA solution and stir with a stir stick.
Add 2 teaspoons of the Sodium Tetraborate (Borax) Solution into the PVA solution
and stir slowly.
Try lifting some of the solution with the stir stick and note what happens.
Once the slime has formed, you can play with it. Just don’t eat it!
Your slime will last longer if you seal it in a plastic bag and keep it in the
fridge, otherwise it will dry out or mold.

What Happened:

Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) is a liquid polymer and is therefore formed from long chains of connected molecules. The sodium tetraborate forms hydrogen bonds with oxygen present in the PVA chains. Hydrogen bonds occur when the positive charge of the hydrogen atoms attracts the negative charge of the oxygen atoms within the compound. The hydrogen bonds link the individual PVA strands to each other, creating a “blob” of slime. Since hydrogen bonds are weak, they will break and reform as you hold the slime or let it ooze onto a flat surface.

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