Polymer Lab Group Investigations

Our first lab was creating a plastic using styrofoam, acetone (we used nail polish remover), and food coloring. The experiment started off great! The styrofoam was dissolving in the acetone like it was supposed to, but it started to take a while for the pieces to dissolve. So we decided to start our next experiment, but we kept an eye on the first and sometimes one of us would work on it while the other worked on the second experiment. This experiment was our first attempt at creating a bouncy ball. The ingredients were like the fi

rst experiment we did with creating a polymer, that test was 8 days ago, the only thing that changed was we added cornstarch.

Now to go more in depth:
Bouncy Ball: Can we create a bouncy ball?
Hypothesis: If we add cornstarch to a lab we have already preformed, the What is a Polymer Lab, then the ball will be bouncier then the first. We think that the cornstarch will act as a tighter bonding agent. The borax will first bond the monomers, then the cornstarch will act like a strengthener to the borax. Making the bond between the monomers stronger and tighter giving more of a bounce.

Observations and other: For this test when we were mixing the

"Borax solution with the glue and cornstarch we added the food coloring, instead of adding it straight to the "Borax solution". We also, did not let the mixture of borax solution, glue, and corn starch

sit for 10-15 seconds like the procedures said we were supposed to. This could of had a great on our first attempt to create a bouncy ball and why it was such a failure. Not only did this test not bounce but it also didn't even look like a ball.

Our second test went a little better. Borax was accidentally added into the glue without, when borax solution should have been added. We got most of it out, but I think that might have been the reason test two didn't bounce. Once we got most of the borax out of the glue we added the borax solution. When the mixture was mixed and molded we tried bouncing it. It didn't bounce. But it did mold easier and hold it shape better then the first attempt. (Attempt one on top-Attempt two on bottom)

Making plastic: Can we make plastic?

Hypothesis: We’re using nail polish remover which is diluted acetone, so we’re hoping that the Styrofoam will still dissolve. However, we’re afraid that it won’t, and that we can’t let the rest of the liquid evaporate out of the nail polish remover and leave more concentrated acetone behind because we’ve found from our research that acetone evaporates fairly quickly. To be honest, we think the Styrofoam (even if we break it up into tiny, little balls) will just float around at the top. * sigh * However, if it works, we don’t want to wait 12 hours for it to harden, so we’ve found that chilling a polymer makes it more brittle, and because brittle things are not malleable, we think that by chilling it (and risking shattering) that it will harden faster.

Observations and other:

In the beginning the styrofoam melted in the acetone. Throughout the whole experiment more styrofoam was added when some/most of the styrofoam already in it was melted. The plastic didn't harden and we are not sure of the out come yet. We are letting the experiment sit overnight and will check in on it tomorrow. I will write about what happened (if anything happens) when we see it tomorrow and I get the chance.