We always like to include a bit of homemade slime science around here! Slime is an excellent chemistry demonstration and kids love it too! Mixtures, substances, polymers, cross-linking, states of matter, elasticity, and viscosity are just a few of the science concepts that can be explored with homemade slime! Grab even more awesome science in our SLIME SCIENCE PROJECT PACK Think wet, freshly cooked spaghetti versus leftover cooked spaghetti! Instead of flowing freely, the molecules become tangled and create a slimy substance.
This is the reaction between the PVA glue and the borate ions in the slime activators. Slime activators (borax, sodium borate, and boric acid) change the position of these molecules in a process called cross-linking! Have you ever noticed how cold your slime gets? An endothermic reaction absorbs energy (heat) instead of giving off energy (heat). Slime is an endothermic reaction as opposed to an exothermic reaction. Chemistry is how materials act under different conditions and/or form new substances. It is all about the way different materials are put together, and how they are made up including atoms and molecules. Chemistry is all about states of matter including liquids, solids, and gasses.
