Experiment 7:

Polymerization
Introduction

Polymers are materials made of long, repeating chains of molecules which are called
monomers. Depending on the type of molecules being bonded, the material will have different
properties. While some polymers are able to bend and stretch, like rubber and polyester,
others are hard and tough, like epoxies and glass (Bradford, 2017).

According to Johnson (2019) some polymers are naturally occurring while others are
man-made. Some examples of naturally occurring polymers are rubber, shellac, and cellulose.
Man-made or synthetic polymers include materials such as polyethylene and polystyrene.
Synthetic polymers such as thermoplastics are pliable, while others are permanently rigid like
thermosets. Still, others have rubber-like properties such as elastomers or resemble plant or
animal fibers like synthetic fibers.

In this experiment, students will use sodium tetraborate to make a borax solution which
will then be added to glue to create a synthetic polymer. Its physical properties will be observed
as additives such as cornstarch is added to the polymer.

Objectives:

1. Observe polymerization reaction between glue and sodium tetraborate

2. Investigate the effect of additives and its amount on the physical properties of the
polymer.

Materials:

● Glue (60 ml)

● Cornstarch (30 grams)
● Matches
● Ruler

Procedure:

A. Making a polymer

1. Label one 50-ml beaker "Borax Solution"

2. Pour 30 ml of warm water and 10 g of sodium tetraborate into the cup labeled 1
"Borax Solution." Stir the mixture.
3. In another 50-ml beaker, pour 15 ml of glue. Add 3 ml of the borax solution you
just made. Do not stir.
4. Allow the ingredients to interact on their own for 10-15 seconds and then stir
them together to fully mix.
5. Describe the physical properties of the resulting polymer.

B. Making a polymer ball

1. Pour 15 ml of glue into 50-ml beaker. Add 3 ml of the borax solution you just
made and 5 g of cornstarch. Do not stir.
2. Allow the ingredients to interact on their own for 10-15 seconds and then stir
them together to fully mix.
3. Once the mixture becomes impossible to stir, take it out of the cup and start
 molding the ball with your hands.
4. The ball will start out sticky and messy but will solidify as you knead it.
5. Repeat the procedure using 10 g and 15 g of cornstarch.
6. Describe the physical properties of the three balls.
7. Test its bounce by dropping your ball from a height of 30 cm. Record your
data in Table 1.
Documentation:

DOCUMENTATION
The table below depicts the steps undertook during the data gathering
procedures.
(In chronological order, Left to Right, Top to Bottom)

The group first took 10 grams of sodium To make sure that the sodium tetraborate
tetraborate using a metal spatula and was 10 grams, the group used a balance to
transferred it into a 50 ml beaker. weigh the beaker first then the beaker with
the solute.

After weighing, the group added 30 ml of The group then added 3 ml of the solution
warm water into the beaker containing 10 g into a beaker filled with 15 ml of glue.
of sodium tetraborate.
After adding the borax solution and the glue The group kept mixing the solution until it
and waiting 15 seconds, the group mixed formed a cohesive, ball-like shape and
the solution. molded the rest with their hands.

The group repeated the same procedure After each polymer were molded, the group
various times with varying amounts of then weighed each one with a balance.
cornstarch being added to the solution.
Data and Results:

Table 1. Physical Properties of the Polymers

OBSERVATIONS Bounce Height from 30 cm

Polymer - Easy to mold - Glossy Trial 1: 15 cm

- White - 15.1 g
Trial 2: 16 cm
- Spherical
- Cohesive Trial 3: 16 cm
- Flexible Average: 15.67 cm

Polymer + 5 g - Spherical - Glossy Trial 1: 7 cm

cornstarch - Flexible - 23.4 g
Trial 2: 7.5 cm
- White
- Cohesive Trial 3: 7 cm
Average: 7.17 cm

Polymer + 10 g - Spherical - 25.6 g Trial 1: 5 cm

cornstarch - Smooth
Trial 2: 6 cm
- Lusterless
- Firm Trial 3: 6 cm
- White Average: 5.67 cm

Polymer + 15 g - Spherical - Firm Trial 1: 5 cm

cornstarch - Smooth - 33.8 g
Trial 2: 5.5 cm
- Flexible
- Lusterless Trial 3: 5.5 cm
- White Average: 5.33 cm
- Cohesive

Discussion of Results:

A. Making a polymer

Table 1 represents the data the group gathered from the observations and bounce
height of the four types of polymers made from borax solution (a mixture of sodium tetraborate
and warm water), glue, and cornstarch.

In the first part of the experiment, the group made a borax solution using 30ml of warm
water and mixed with 10g of sodium tetraborate. Elmer's is made up of polyvinyl acetate
(PAV), which is a synthetic polymer. A polymer is a long molecule that is mostly made up of
many similar repeating units. In the case of polyvinyl acetate, each repeating unit contains an
acetate group. Borax, which is a white powder made up of sodium tetraborate, can react with
this acetate group. Specifically, one molecule of borax can react with acetate groups on two
different polyvinyl acetate molecules, creating a bond between the two polyvinyl acetate
molecules. Borax cross-links the polyvinyl acetate molecules together. The more cross-linked
molecules, the larger the polymeric material that is made from the reaction. Additionally, as
more cross-links are made, the more the polymeric material becomes less liquid-like and gains
solidity. The group poured 15ml of glue in a 50ml beaker and mixed with 3ml borax solution
that they made then they waited for 10-15 seconds so the ingredients may interact and then
they stirred it with a stirring rod to be fully mixed. After mixing, the group molded the polymer
into a ball shape and proceeded to test the polymer by dropping it from a 30cm height and
recorded the height of the bounce of the polymer. The polymer that the group made is easy to
mold, flexible, cohesive and it has a glossy surface.

B. Making a polymer ball

Similar to the first part, in the second part of the experiment the group mixed glue and
Borax solution but this time added cornstarch. Cornstarch by the name itself has starch in it,
which is a polymer of glucose sugar molecules strung together into a long chain. By adding
cornstarch into the mixture, sodium tertraborate (Borax solution) now bonds two types of
polymers, namely glucose and polyvinylacetate (PAV). The borax allows the two polymers to
crosslink, becoming even more viscous until it reaches a point where it barely flows at all;
additionally the cornstarch helps in binding the molecules together so that they hold their
shape better and get stronger (Dziengel, 2017).

The group made four (4) polymer balls (PbA, PbB, PbC, and PbD), each having its
own adjusted amount of cornstarch added to it. To test the balls elasticity the group conducted
a three trial bounce test, 30cm from the ground then calculated for the average. The first
polymer ball (PbA) has no cornstarch, it has an average bounce height (from 30cm) of
15.67cm and it weighs 15.1g, it is observed to be white, spherical, rugged, elastic, cohesive,
and has a glossy surface. The second polymer ball (PbB) has 5g of cornstarch, it has an
average bounce height (from 30cm) of 7.17cm and it weighs 23.4g, it is observed to be white,
spherical, slightly rugged, elastic, cohesive, and has a glossy surface. The third polymer ball
(PbC) has 10g of cornstarch, it has an average bounce height (from 30cm) of 5.67cm and it
weighs 25.6g, it is observed to be white, spherical, smooth, firm, cohesive, and has a lusterless
surface. The fourth and last polymer ball (PbD) has 15g of cornstarch, it has an average
bounce height (30cm) of 5.33cm and it weighs 33.8g, it is observed to be white, spherical,
smooth, firm, cohesive, and has a lusterless surface.

The group has extrapolated a few general trends that can be deduced from the data
gathered, firstly all polymer balls are cohesive and elastic nature regardless of the amount of
cornstarch added, secondly the bounce height of the polymer balls decreased as the amount
of cornstarch added increased, secondly the mass, firmness, and smoothness of the polymer
balls increased as the amount of cornstarch added also increased. As stated previously,
adding cornstarch to the mixture allows the PAV polymers of the glue to crosslink with the
glucose polymers of the cornstarch. Hence, the increasing mass, firmness, and smoothness
of the polymer balls. Furthermore, this is why PbA had the highest average bounce height of
15.67cm because of its lack in cornstarch it weighed less and it is more elastic than the other
balls. On the other hand, PbD had the lowest average bounce height of 5.33cm because it
had the highest amount of cornstarch added to it, making it the heaviest and least elastic of
all the balls.
Findings:

1. The amount of cornstarch added is proportional to the weight of the polymer ball but
inversely proportional to the elasticity of the polymer ball.

Conclusion

From the experiment, the group was able to meet the given objectives of the
experiment. The polymerization reaction between glue and sodium tetraborate and the effect
of additives to the polymer were observed and tested with strictly following the procedures.

The first objective was tested using the borax solution; a solution made from mixing 30
ml of warm water and 10 g of sodium tetraborate. The solution was then mixed with 15 ml of
glue using a glass rod. With observation, the group noticed while mixing it clockwise, the
mixture of borax solution and glue formed a circular-like structure with distinct characteristics.
After forming it in a ball-like structure, the group tested its ability to bounce and the recorded
average was 15.67 cm. This means that the group was able to polymerized the given solution
and glue making it solidify.

The second objective was to investigate the effect of additives to the polymer. The
borax solution and glue was then subjected to three different amounts of cornstarch; 5g, 10g,
& 15 g of the said additive. By doing the same procedure, the characteristics changed and
varied from the different measurements of cornstarch. It can be deduced that the use of
additives causes a different reaction compared to the polymer made from the first part of the
experiment. It was then observed that the lowest recorded average of height from bouncing
the polymers at 30 cm is the last polymer in which it has the highest amount of starch. It was
given that the more additives you add, it may change the characteristics of a certain polymer
just like the last polymer in which it has the heaviest recorded weight compared to other
polymers.
References:

Dziengel, A. (2017, July 2). Simple Science Experiment: DIY Bouncy Balls.
Retrieved from https://babbledabbledo.com/simple-science-experiment-diy-bouncy-
balls/