Sodium Polymer Lab

Title: Sodium Polymer Lab

Problem: How will sodium silicate affect the strength of the polymer?

Hypothesis: If sodium silicate is added to the ethyl alcohol, then the polymer will be stronger because the water is being taken out and replaced by the ethyl alcohol.

Materials:

• Sodium Silicate 12 mL
• ethyl alcohol 3 mL
• 2 small beakers
• stirring rod
• paper towels

Procedures: First, we poured the 2 solutions together and mixed it up until it was very chunky. After that, we started to mold it into a sphere. We had to wet it a little bit to mold it because it was not easily molded but with a little water and pressure, it became easier. After we made it into a sphere, we did some tests and it did bounce and when the water dried out, we had to wet it again because it would start to crumble, so the water held the 2 solutions together.

Data and Analysis:
1. It is clear and clumpy. When you squeeze it together, it forms one piece and you can mold it.
2. They are both moldable and have properties that make it bounce.
3.They are both moldable, bouncy, and hold their shape.
4. There was a reaction because a solid formed when the mixed together.
5. The water makes it moldable, and when squeezed, it comes out and since there is no water
left, it becomes non moldable and it crumbles.
6. Ours was the biggest and most spherical. Other people didn't have a good sphere, but it still bounced. Theirs did not bounce as high as ours and their diameter was smaller.
This was the polymer while it was being mixed. The water was still in it and that is why it is all together. It started crumbling after we took it out because the water started to dry up. At this point, it felt like dry deodorant.
This is what it looked like after we added a little more water and started to mold it into a sphere. It wasn't completely done and it broke easily because there was too much water in it. It was white and and had swirls in it, so it almost looked like a marble.
This was the finished product. It was bouncy, shiny and looked like a marble very much. It was large because we used all of the product that we made. We rolled and squished it into a sphere, so it was just like a bouncy ball. Occasionally, we had to add a little bit of water to it to keep it from drying out and crumbling.

Conclusion: My hypothesis was proven correct because the polymer did become stronger when there was less water in it. The water held the 2 solutions together very well and that is why they stayed combined and the water gave it all the properties of sticking together, being bouncy, and being moldable. It was just like the other polymer that we made before, except it looked and felt a little different. The other one felt rubbery while this one felt like dried deodorant when water was added to it. When it was in a sphere though, it felt smooth and just a little sticky. A way we could modify it is by testing the properties of it at different