Sodium Silicate Polymer Lab

State the Problem:
What is a sodium silicate polymer?

Hypothesis:
The polymer will become a hard, translucent, bouncy ball.

Results/Observations:
The sodium silicate was syrupy as it was being poured into the beaker.
When we poured the alcohol into the sodium silicate, there was an immediate reaction. That portion of the mixture became slightly cloudy and thicker. When we began to stir it, the surface became like a thin layer of rubber, stretchy and breaking as too much tension was put on it. The mixture became jelly-like for a moment, then soon became somewhat granulated in texture. Eventually, the stirring made the mixture become a clump of wet, grayish-clear granules. I removed the clump from the beaker and started to compress it. I noticed that the ball dripped extra liquid, which helped it to solidify. As it dried/solidified, it became stickier and smoother. It was actually fairly difficult to compress, as it was much tougher than the polymer we created on Tuesday. Finally, we had a sphere of white-gray polymer. We conducted the rebound test on it, meaning we dropped it 5 different times from 30 cm, and the average height was 19.2 cm. However, when we cooled it for about 15 minutes and conduced the same test, its average was only 17.6 cm. It also felt heavier and harder after being cooled.

Questions:
What characteristics are similar between your two types of polymers you have made? Differences?
-Similarities I spotted between the two polymers are that they were both fairly bouncy, whitish, and moldable. However, one was stretchy while the second was firmer, and the chemical reaction was faster the second time than the first.

Most commercial polymers are carbon based. What similar properties do silicon and carbon share that may contribute to their abilities to polymerize?
-They both can give up or take in 4 electrons, which gives them an incredible ability to bond.

Plastics are made of organic (carbon based) polymers. What similarity does the the silicone polymer share with the plastics?
-I actually had a very difficult time finding this answer....I can really only find differences. I suppose one similarity would be their formation because of the ability to bond easily.

How did you know that a chemical reaction had taken place when the when the two liquids were mixed?
-The reaction could be seen instantly when the sodium silicate turned cloudy in response to the ethyl alcohol being added. It also changed textures/consistency as I stirred.

How could you find out what liquid was pressed out of the mass of crumbled solid as you formed the ball?
-You could use certain chemicals and procedures to separate certain "ingredients" in the liquid, much like the way we isolated the DNA of a strawberry in a previous lab.

Compare your ball with those of the other members of class. How many properties can you compare?
-My group had an average rebound of 19.2 cm, whereas Brad and Luke had a 20 cm average. When we chilled ours, we had a 17.6 cm average, and Brad and Luke still had a 20 cm average. Their polymer was definitely larger than ours, and in the words of Jackson, theirs was more "chunky and lumpy." However, ours bounced higher when we compared them later. Our ball was also more translucent.


Conclusions:

I accepted my hypothesis, because it was actually almost perfect. When we molded the polymer, it formed a tough, semi-translucent ball with a high rebound. I really enjoyed watching the chemical reaction. I've said it before, but I really love this kind of science. I've learned that sometimes you'll work with dangerous chemicals and you have to be very cautious and completely follow directions. For instance, I was very careful not to touch the sodium silicate. I was curious as to what would happen if I did, but the instructions clearly stated not to touch it. This helps success to come about in labs. The lab was actually fairly easy, and my group didn't come across any problems.