ADVERTISEMENT
4 /5 FREE ARTICLES LEFT THIS MONTH Remaining
Chemistry matters. Join us to get the news you need.
SEE MY OPTIONS or Log In
GET MORE

This site uses cookies to enhance your user experience. By continuing to use this site you are agreeing to our COOKIE POLICY.

ACCEPT AND CLOSE

If you have an ACS member number, please enter it here so we can link this account to your membership. (optional)

ACS values your privacy. By submitting your information, you are gaining access to C&EN and subscribing to our weekly newsletter. We use the information you provide to make your reading experience better, and we will never sell your data to third party members.

50% off your first year of ACS membership = 100% yield

Already an ACS Member?  

Membership categories

Choose the membership that is right for you. Discounts will be applied automatically at checkout.

Regular or Affiliate Member
$175
$88
JOIN NOW
Graduate Student Member
$87
$44
JOIN NOW
Undergraduate Student Member
$60
$30
JOIN NOW

Benefits

Enjoy these benefits no matter which membership you pick.

 

  • Unlimited access to C&EN, including a subscription to our award-winning weekly print magazine
  • Discounts on ACS meetings, events and courses
  • Expand your research with complimentary SciFinder searches
  • Discounts on ACS journals
  • Receive exclusive career insights and data from industry experts

Thank you!

Your account has been created successfully, and a confirmation email is on the way.

Your username is now your ACS ID.

ENJOY UNLIMITED ACCES TO C&EN

Education

Periodic Graphics: The chemistry of slime

Chemical educator and Compound Interest blogger Andy Brunning wrings all the molecular details out of the popular goo

by Andy Brunning
June 13, 2018 | APPEARED IN VOLUME 96, ISSUE 25
Advertisement

Most Popular in Education

 

 
 

To download a pdf of this article, visit cenm.ag/slimechem.

References used to create this graphic:

The gelation of polyvinyl alcohol with borax

The gelation of poly(vinyl alcohol) with Na2B4O7 10H2O

"Slime” may not be so benign: A cause of hand dermatitis

Polyvinyl alcohol-borax slime as promising polyelectrolyte for high-performance, easy-to-make electrochromic devices

Classic chemistry experiments: Polymer slime

A collaboration between C&EN and Andy Brunning, author of the popular graphics blog Compound Interest

To see more of Brunning’s work, go to compoundchem.com. To see all of C&EN’s Periodic Graphics, visit cenm.ag/periodicgraphics.

 

CORRECTION: This story was updated on July 3, 2018, to correct the structure of borax and the predominant cross-linking structure in slime. The cross-links are mainly borate ester linkages, not hydrogen bonds. Both errors are present in many sources online, including journal articles and chemical catalogs. To learn more about our investigation into the matter, read this story.

This article has been translated into Spanish by Divulgame.org and can be found here.

Chemical & Engineering News
ISSN 0009-2347
Copyright © 2019 American Chemical Society

You might also like...

Serving the chemical, life science, and laboratory worlds
Scientists bring the party and hagfish bring traffic accidents
Serving the chemical, life science, and laboratory worlds
Deck The Halls With Crystals And Chromatography
Serving the chemical, life science, and laboratory worlds
Chemical Bonding
Errors in C&EN graphic reveal widespread misconceptions about slime chemistry
X

Article:

This article has been sent to the following recipient:

Comments
Lauren Wolf (June 22, 2018 12:26 PM)
NOTE: C&EN has received two notes from readers suggesting that the cross-linking chemistry depicted in this graphic is incorrect. There was also a suggestion that the structure for borax is incorrect. All of these pieces of information were taken from published sources. So we are currently investigating and will make a correction soon, if appropriate. Please stay tuned.

Leave A Comment

*Required to comment