Flubber gluep, glurch, or slime are common names referring to a rubbery polymer formed by cross linking of polyvinyl alcohol

Polyvinyl alcohol

Polyvinyl alcohol is a water-soluble synthetic polymer .-Properties:...

 with a boron

Boron

Boron is the chemical element with atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Boron is a metalloid. Because boron is not produced by stellar nucleosynthesis, it is a low-abundance element in both the solar system and the Earth's crust. However, boron is concentrated on Earth by the...

 compound. Making flubber from polyvinyl-alcohol-based glue

Glue

This is a list of various types of glue. Historically, the term "glue" only referred to protein colloids prepared from animal flesh. The meaning has been extended to refer to any fluid adhesive....

s, such as Elmer's Glue

Elmer's Products, Inc.

Elmer's Products, Inc. is the manufacturer of Elmer's Glue-All and other crafts and home repair products, including Krazy Glue, Ross Glue, ProBond adhesives, and X-Acto craft knives. Elmer's also produces foamboard and presentation board. It has its headquarters in Columbus, Ohio.The brand was...

, and borax

Borax

Borax, also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important boron compound, a mineral, and a salt of boric acid. It is usually a white powder consisting of soft colorless crystals that dissolve easily in water.Borax has a wide variety of uses...

 can be done as an elementary science education experiment.

Reaction mechanisms

The formation of a gel may be due to hydrogen bonding between boric acid

Boric acid

Boric acid, also called hydrogen borate or boracic acid or orthoboric acid or acidum boricum, is a weak acid of boron often used as an antiseptic, insecticide, flame retardant, as a neutron absorber, and as a precursor of other chemical compounds. It exists in the form of colorless crystals or a...

 hydroxyl groups and the diol

Diol

A diol or glycol is a chemical compound containing two hydroxyl groups A geminal diol has two hydroxyl groups bonded to the same atom...

 groups in polyvinyl alcohol. Hydrogen bonding, as opposed to covalent bonding, would account for the physical properties of the gel.

Properties

Flubber is a non-Newtonian fluid

Non-Newtonian fluid

A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid whose flow properties differ in any way from those of Newtonian fluids. Most commonly the viscosity of non-Newtonian fluids is not independent of shear rate or shear rate history...

 that flows under low stresses, but breaks under higher stresses and pressures. This combination of fluid-like and solid-like properties makes it a Maxwell solid. Its behaviour can also be described as being viscoplastic

Viscoplasticity

Viscoplasticity is a theory in continuum mechanics that describes the rate-dependent inelastic behavior of solids. Rate-dependence in this context means that the deformation of the material depends on the rate at which loads are applied...

 or gelatinous.