Hooked on Science: Leprechaun snot

Are you finding a lot of green slimy stuff around the house or the classroom? If so, there's either a sick kid or a leprechaun. Using a few materials from around the house, you can discover the science behind leprechaun snot.

Materials

* 1/4 cup of clear glue

* 1/4 cup of borax

* Warm water

* Green food coloring

Instructions

STEP 1: Dissolve the 1/4 cup of borax into one quart of warm water.

STEP 2: Add a few drops of green food coloring to the 1/4 cup of clear glue and mix.

STEP 3: Mix the glue and borax together in a large bowl until it looks like snot. You can add more borax if the leprechaun snot is too runny.

Explanation

Your batch of leprechaun snot is a polymer, which is a long chain of mole- cules linked together. The borax links the glue's molecules to- gether, creating lepre- chaun snot.

Jason Lindsey is a science outreach educator with Hooked on Science. Check out his website hookedonscience.org for webcasts and experiments that might get you hooked on science.