Make a slimy polymer

Transcript

Speaker 1: Hey guys!

Speaker 2: Hey guys!

Speaker 1: We're here with the Science.gc.ca Team, and we're going to bring you cool and exciting science experiments that you and your friends can try at home. Every experiment that we provide you with is found online at Science.gc.ca in our seven activity books. Today, we'll be explaining polymers. So let's start bonding.

So for ingredients, you're going to need cornstarch, warm water, white glue, green food coloring, container or jar with tight fitting lid, zip-lock baggies.

Speaker 2: So, in doing this experiment, you're going to want to make a cornstarch solution by adding water and cornstarch to a jar. We've already made the solution, so we're going to move on to the next step. You're going to place two teaspoons of white glue into a baggie. So, we have our baggie right over here and we're just going to place the two teaspoons into this baggie. Next we're going to add two drops of food coloring. We chose green, but you can choose any color you prefer.

From there, you're going to add 2 teaspoons of water. Now, you're going to close the baggie tight and mix it to give it a uniform color. Now, you're going to have slime. If you find that your slime is too runny, just add some more cornstarch or glue. So what happens?

Speaker 1: Well, a polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units connected by chemical bonds. While many people think of polymer as plastics, the term actually refers to the larger class of natural and synthetic materials with a variety of properties. The word polymer comes from Greek, where “poly” means many and “mer” means parts. Most polymers are based upon carbon.

Speaker 2: Cool. So, that's all the time we have for today, but we hoped you learned a little bit more about polymers. If you liked the video, be sure you give it a thumb's up and share it with all of your friends. Be sure to stay tuned for our next video at Science.gc.ca and thanks for watching.

Speaker 1: Thanks!