Pre Lab #13

Date: 10/25/16
Title: Making Different types of slime
Purpose: You will use 8 different tests to figure out the properties of slime
Procedure: Determine which slime you are making, then make your slime and perform tests on
the slime to test the properties of the slime. The tests include: temperature,phosphorus,
florescent, reflective & transmissive, magnetism, cohesion & adhesion, viscosity, and acid base.
Pre Lab Questions:
1. A polymer is a large molecule made up of many smaller ones called monomers.
2. Vinyl alcohol is the monomer in poly.
3. The major ingredient in slime is water.
4. The purpose of adding borax to poly(vinyl alcohol) is to connect the chains of PVA in
such a way that a three-dimensional network of chains is formed and to create thicker
slime.

Essence of Slime
Data Sheet
Slim
e
Sam
ple

Station

A
Heat:Same
1
Temperature Test look a little
more
malleable
and slimy

B
C
D
Heat: Slime
Heat: gets
Heat: turns to a
looks the same, chunky and
pinkish color,
is more chunky melty
stays same
in texture
thickness
Cold: stays
Cold: Looks the chunky and
Cold: changed
Cold: Broke same, more
stays same color back to its
apart into
chunky than
original color
chunks and normal
dark blue did not
was harder
change
thickness

Does not
2
Phosphorescence glow in dark
looks black
Test
and dark
purplish

Glow in the dark, Does Not reflect

stays lit for a little absorbs light no
bit even after
color change
light is gone
does not glow in
dark

Makes it look
purple. Doesnt
reflect or glow in
the dark.
Absorbs light

Not
3
Fluorescence Test fluorescent

Fluorescent

Somewhat
fluorescent

Not fluorescent

Light:black
4
Reflection and
No Light:
Transmittance Test
black

Light clear

Light: Looks
Black

Light: violet

5
Magnetism Test
6
Cohesion and
Adhesion Test

Nothing
happens

No Light: clear

No Light: Black

No light: Black
Nothing happens Nothing
Happened

Nothing
happened

Doesnt stick Doesnt stick to Does stick to

to gloves
gloves
gloves

Doesnt stick to
gloves

Does stick to Sticks to paper

paper towel towel

Somewhat sticks
to paper towel

Sticks to paper
towel

7
Viscosity Test
8
Acid-Base Test

Post-laboratory
Questions
1. Describe the properties that are common to all slime samples.
The properties that are common to all the slimes are none of the slimes were magnetic and the

slimes do not stick to gloves, but they all at least slightly stick to the paper towel. Otherwise
they differ from each other.
2. What molecular-level changes allow the slime to bend and stretch without falling apart?
The molecular-level changes that allow they slime to bend and stretch without falling apart is
that it is in the phase between a solid and a liquid. Since the slime is like a solid it can be
formed into a ball, but since it is also 90 percent water and can flow like a liquid. They are
based on the structure of its components: poly(vinyl alcohol), borax and water.
3. What molecular-level changes allow the slime to "heal" itself after it is broken?
The molecular-level change that allows the slime to heal itself after its broken is since the
slime is in between a liquid and a solid. The chemical reaction that forms the slime cross-links
is reversible; thus, cross-links can be broken and reformed. The ability to break and reform
crosslinks makes slime self-healing
4. Describe the properties that are unique to each slime sample.
Slime A: In Heat it is a little more malleable and slimy, in Cold it broke apart into chunks and was
hard, it does not glow in dark, it is not fluorescent, in the light it is black, and in no
Light it is black.
Slime B: In Heat, slime looks the same, is more chunky in texture, in cold it Looks the same, more
chunky than normal, it glows in the dark, and stays lit for a little bit even after light is
gone. The slime also is Fluorescent, and in light is clear, but in no light is also clear.
Silme C: In Heat it gets chunky and melty, in cold it stays chunky and stays same color, it does not
glow in dark, somewhat fluorescent, and in both light and no light it looks Black.
Slime D: In Heat it turns to a pinkish color, in Cold it changed back to its original color dark blue,
under black light it doesnt reflect or glow in the dark, not fluorescent, and with Light
its violet, but with no Light its Black.
5. The table below lists slime additives that were used in the slime samples and a brief description
of each.
Match each additive with the slime sample that includes it.
Slime
Description
Additive
s
zinc sulfide inorganic yellow powder, insoluble in water; used as a green
phosphor in glow-in-the-dark products
leuco dye

temperature-sensitive, color-changing pigment, soluble in

water; used in commercial products to communicate
information about temperature {e.g., color changing baby
spoons)

Slime
Sample
B
D

bromophen organic pH indicator and dye, slightly soluble in water;

ol blue above pH 4.6 it absorbs red light and transmits blue light;
used to stain DNA and protein molecules for gel
electrophoresis
organic red azo dye, soluble in water; maximum absorbance of
504 nm;
used as an artificial colorant in pharmaceutical and food
products
magnetite inorganic black iron(ll, Ill) oxide in powdered form, insoluble in A
water; exhibits permanent magnetism; a component of
powder
magnetic ink used to print the bottom line of checks so they
can be scanned by MICR {Magnetic Ink Character
Recognition) devices
C
fluorescein organic, dark orange-red powder, slightly soluble in water;
produces intense yellow-green fluorescence; used by
optometrists in eye drops to detect problems with the surface
of the eye
red food
coloring

6. Which slime additives would you combine to make a new slime and why? What properties would this
slime have?
The additive that I would combine to make a new slime would be: fluorescein because its
organic and glows in the dark, so we could see it at night; magnetite powder because it would
be magnetic and we could see everything it would stick to; bromophenol blue because above
pH 4.6 it absorbs red light and transmits blue light and it is used to stain DNA and protein
molecules for gel electrophoresis which is interesting; and leuco dye because it is a
temperature-sensitive, color-changing pigment, and it would be cool to see what type of colors
it can change into.
7. Predict what will happen to slime if it sits out overnight exposed to air. Why do you think this will happen?
If you left the slime to sit exposed to air overnight, the slime would flatten and spread out. It would
also sometimes start to dry out and get hard due to what the slime is made of. Some of its
properties might change as well.

Discussion Of Theory:
Some possible sources of error include: performing one of the tests wrong, making the slimes
wrong by adding the wrong amount of ingredients, and mixing up the slimes or their data. The
purpose of this lab was to make the slimes and perform tests on them in order to determine the
secret ingredient that was added to them. Although we did not get through all the test, we have a
decent idea about each of the secret ingredients. We believe that Slime A is magnetite powder due
to it being black and insoluble in water. We believe Slime B is zinc sulfide because it glows in the
dark. We believe that slime C is fluorescein because it produces intense yellow-green
fluorescence. And we believe that slime D is leuco dye because it is a temperature-sensitive,
color-changing pigment.