Slime, Slime, Everywhere is Slime

Overview

Styrofoam will melt into separate long strings when put in acetone. The packing peanuts in your kit are made of styrofoam.

Chemicals

Materials

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*Note: Acetone can be purchased locally as nail polish remover at big box stores.  To get a big can of it, to go a home improvement store.

  • Glass beaker

  • Stirring rod

Procedure

1. In glass beaker, pour in Acetone.

2. Drop in 3 packing peanuts from your kit and stir with the stirring rod.

3. Watch how the styrofoam dissolves and just how many packing peanuts you can put in the acetone.

The Science Behind the Reaction

Packing peanuts, like the ones found in your kit, are actually made up of long strings. You can see these molecules clearly when they are broken down by acetone.

Keep Experimenting!

ADULTS ONLY: Let the mixture dry out a bit and mold it into a long tube. Light one end and watch the flames go!