The glue is a polymer, which is a long chain of molecules all hooked together like tangled noodles. When you mix the two solutions together, the water molecules start linking up the noodles together all along the length of each noodle to get more like a fishnet. Scientists call this a polymetric compound of sodium tetraborate and lactated glue. We call it bouncy putty.
Here’s what you do:
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- Combine ½ cup water with one teaspoon of Borax in a cup and stir with a popsicle stick.
- In another cup, mix equal parts white glue and water.
- Add in a glob of glue mixture to the borax.
- Stir for one second with a popsicle stick, then quickly pull the putty out of cup and play with it until it dries enough to bounce on table (3-5 minutes).
- Pick up an imprint from a textured surface or print from a newspaper, bounce and watch it stick, snap it apart quickly and ooze apart slowly.
Download Student Worksheet & Exercises
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White glue has the proper chemicals to make this experiment work. Clear glue will not work.
why does it need to be white? can it be clear?
Hmm. Please confirm that you used Borax and please let me know what kind of white glue you used.
no its not its rubbery but when i break it i cant stick it back together so i have a bunch of pieces that wont stick back together??
It should be stretchy when you follow the instructions in this video.
how do i make it stretchy
No, please do not eat any science chemistry experiments – it is not a good practice!
are the eggs edible once they are rubber for rubber eggs?
Only Borax (or non-brand name equivalent) will work for this experiment. Borax contains sodium tetraborate, which is mandatory for this experiment. So, unfortunately, washing soda won’t do the trick.
It’s not possible to buy Borax (or its non-brand name equivalent) in the UK. Will washing soda work instead?