Polymers - Poly(ethenol) - Slime.
Poly(ethenol) will react with borax to make slime.
Borax
is sodium tetraborate - Na2B4O7.
When borax is put into water it forms B(OH)4- ions.
These ions interact with the
OH groups and make cross links
between the poly(ethenol) chains forming slime.
This type of interaction is called
hydrogen bonding.
In hydrogen bonding the attraction between the H and the O
is
weaker than a covalent
bond.

Using more borax gives a
greater number of cross
links
and a higher
viscosity of the slime.
Viscosity is a measure of how easily something flows.
Water has a low viscosity and
thick syrup has a high
viscosity.
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