General Chemistry Project 1: Polymer Ball

Project 1: Polymer Ball

Vivian Kim
General Chemistry 2045L

Introduction Our assignment in this project was to create a bouncy ball for a company using polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), polyvinyl acetate solid and sodium borate, by varying the ration of ingredients and to determine the best recipe for our bouncy ball. The company chose the materials because of their odorless and nontoxic properties. PVA is a water-soluble synthetic polymer and has adhesive properties. It has a high strength and flexibility property. But this also depends on how much water is absorbed. The polymer will lose its high bendable strength as more water is absorbed. Polymers are substances that are built completely
A 10:1 ratio between polyvinyl alcohol and sodium borate was used. We used this ratio because while conducting research, there was a similar experiment to the polymer ball and it said a 10:1 ratio was used. 5mL of borax and 50mL of polyvinyl alcohol was poured into a 250mL beaker. Then the mixture was stirred for about 10 minutes until the mixture became a sticky substance. 55mL of polyvinyl acetate was then poured into the mixture. The mixture was stirred for 2-3 minutes.
During week two we were supposed to “tweak” our mixture and also make our polymer ball resistant to the heat and cold because it was going to be shipped from Florida to New Mexico to Alaska. During this experiment we changed our experiment using less ingredients and less substances. The only ingredients used were the polyvinyl alcohol and the sodium borate. 40mL of polyvinyl alcohol and 4mL of sodium borate were mixed in a 100mL beaker. The mixture was stirred until it started to thicken which took about 10-15 minutes. The mixture was taken out of the beaker, and rolled into a ball for about 5 minutes then put back in the beaker and let it sit for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, the mixture became less sticky and was easier to roll into the shape of a ball. Since we were supposed to create a ball that was resistant to different climate temperatures, the polymer ball was split into two. Half of the ball would be in hot
The more starch that was added the bigger the ball would get, and the polyvinyl acetate solid did nothing to our product. To test the polymer ball as to whether or not the ball could withstand different temperature climates. Two tests were performed. An ice bath test, and a boiling water test. One half of the ball was sitting in a beaker of ice. As soon as the polymer was placed in the beaker it started to steam and immediately it started to freeze. The polymer also started to flatten out. When it was taken out of the ice it was very slippery and hard to grip. It was also difficult to roll into a ball. But, after it sat in room temperature it was easier to mold into a ball and still carried the “bounce” that a bouncy ball should have. In boiling water experiment, water was boiled in a beaker with the use of a Bunsen burner. After the water was boiling we placed the polymer ball into the water and it melted but didn’t fully dissolve in the water. There was a layer of the polymer ball floating in the water. We collected the layer and put the substance into a beaker. When the substance cooled down and was back to room temperature, the substance became very stretchy. The polymer could also be rolled back into a