Slime
- by KitchenPantryScientist
Contact lens solution containing boric acid makes a good Borax substitute for making slime, when combined with baking soda and glue. (Note: Most liquid laundry detergents in recipes for “Borax-free” slime contain Borax.)
What’s the science behind the fun? To make slime, you need a chemical called a crosslinker to make all of the glue molecules stick together. When you use contact lens solution, the boric acid in contact solution combines with baking soda to make borate, the same crosslinking solution that Borax contains.
To make Borax powder-free slime, just add a pinch or two of baking soda per ounce of glue (around 1 tsp per bottle of clear glue), stir, add food coloring or glitter and then keep adding contact lens solution and stirring until the glue isn’t sticky any more. You can add water to the glue before adding the contact solution to change the consistency of the slime.
You can find more slime recipes here.