Sodium Silicate Polymer Lab Interpretation

The Sodium Silicate Polymer Lab allowed us to make a polymer that acted as a spherical rubber bouncy ball.  We created the ball by mixing sodium silicate and ethyl alcohol in a beaker.  This is what it looked like when it was first becoming a solid:

  Our polymer was very crumbly when we first finished mixing.  After rolling it around in a ball in the palm of my hand and apply pressure to it we finally managed to make the shape of a spherical polymer. This is what our polymer looked like when it was finally made into the shape of a ball:

 When the excess moisture dried it left a white powdery residue on my hands.  You can barely see this in the bottom right of the picture above.  This went away with a simple washing of my hands.  After we got the shape of our round polymer we did "The Rebound Test."  We took our ball and dropped it from a height of thirty centimeters.  We then measured the height after the polymer's first bounce.  After we averaged out our three bounce heights we put the ball in the fridge to cool down and dry.  When we took it out after ten minutes we did the rebound test once more.  Our average heights were pretty much the same at about twenty centimeters both times.  Although they bounced the same the chilled polymer seemed to be more stable then when it was warm.  Even though the warm one wasn't as stable, even when it was warm or cold it was always harder and more bouncy then the polymer on Tuesday.
             I accepted my hypothesis of saying when the sodium silicate and when the ethyl alcohol mixed it would make a bouncy moldable polymer.
        
            The similarities between the two types of polymers we made were how they both had a bounce attribute.  They both could be molded to some extent also.  Some differences were how the polymer made on Tuesday seemed to be more unstable.  If say out it would eventually turn into a puddle.  The polymer made today held the same characteristics as a regular bouncy ball it would bounce high and it was also hard.

            Carbon and silicon are alike in many ways.  This is why they polymerize the same because of this reason.  Silicon is also the eight most common element.

            There are similarities between plastic polymers and the silicone polymer.  The most obvious one is how the silicone polymer looks like a clear plastic.  They both can serve the same purpose too.

            I knew a chemical reaction took place because the two chemicals to start with ended up being a solid.  They also turned from a clear to a more white color.