How to make sodium tetraborate at home: 7 recipes for making it

Sodium tetraborate is, without exaggeration, the best thickener for slime, which is also widely used in industry. We are talking about an inorganic compound, the chemical formula of which is Na2B4O7. Among handgamists, this substance is also known by such names as borax and borax. At the same time, slime lovers will agree that this thickener is better suited for making “slime” than lens cleaner and boric acid. Therefore, we suggest you learn how to make sodium tetraborate with your own hands using one of the recipes below.

What is sodium tetraborate and what is it for?

Sodium tetraborate - sodium salt of boric acid or borax, is transparent white crystals without a distinct odor. This substance has been used in households for more than 100 years.

Appearance of sodium tetraborate

In pharmacies this substance is sold in the form of a glycyrin solution; It can be seen in powder form in construction and gardening stores and radio stores. Nowadays, borax is very often used to make “chewing gum for hands” - slimes, so it can be bought in craft stores.

Sodium salt of boric acid is quite widely used in the household. Due to its antiseptic properties, it can be used to remove mold from walls, eliminate odors in refrigerators, and also to kill cockroaches; as a thickener and preservative, it can be used in the preparation of licks and slimes; in some cases, it is used in the treatment of thrush for douching and stomatitis for rinsing.

Its cost is low, but if you want to feel like a real chemist, you can get it yourself at home. This requires ingredients that can be found in most stores. You can take any container for preparing borax - glass, hard plastic or porcelain.

Those who have not forgotten their school chemistry course remember that acids react well with bases or with basic salts. Several recipes for producing sodium tetraborate at home are based on this rule.

From borax

Borax for this method of mixing the activator can be found at a hardware store or wherever repair supplies are available. Glycerin is available freely in pharmacies. To heat the mixture, you don’t need to use a microwave, but simply put a closed container with it in hot water for a few minutes. In principle, the activator will work without this. But if the liquid is heated, it will become more transparent.

What to make from

1 tsp. drills,
4 tsp. glycerin.

Making a thickener at home

Borax must be poured into a mixing container.
Then glycerin is added to it.
Now the container needs to be closed and shaken several times so that the borax crystals combine well with the gel liquid.
Then it is placed in the microwave for 30 seconds, after which it is shaken again, and the activator is ready.

How to make sodium tetraborate at home

This substance can be obtained in several ways. We will present seven options. You can definitely use one of them.

How to make sodium tetraborate from soda

The main ingredients needed are an alcohol solution of boric acid from a pharmacy and baking soda.

For 1 bottle of boric acid with a volume of 50 ml you will need half a teaspoon of soda. Soda and acid must be thoroughly mixed. To remove unreacted soda, the mixture must be filtered through filter paper or a paper napkin. To do this, it is better to take a three-layer napkin without a pattern, fold it into a ball and insert it into the funnel.

The resulting solution can be used to make slimes as a thickener.

How to make sodium tetraborate from alkali - a more dangerous way

Instead of baking soda, you can take either a sodium hydroxide solution or dry alkali and mix it with boric acid in the same way as the sequence indicated in recipe No. 1.

Dry lye

When obtaining borax in this way, it is very important to consider the following points:

With sodium hydroxide, especially in dry form, you must only work with gloves!
The work site must be equipped with good ventilation.
If alkali gets on your skin, thoroughly rinse the affected area with plenty of water.

How to make sodium tetraborate from washing soda

If you have washing soda in the house, another name is soda ash or sodium carbonate, then it can also be used to obtain tetraborate.

Washing soda

To do this, you need to mix ¼ teaspoon of washing soda with boric acid, and filter the resulting solution.

How to make sodium tetraborate from glycerin - for slimes and lizuns

To make lizuns or slimes at home, use a solution of tetraborate in glycerin. To obtain this ingredient you will need:

Borax, which is a crystalline powder and is sold in hardware stores.
Glycerin is a clear, viscous liquid that can be purchased at a pharmacy.

To obtain tetraborate, take 4 parts glycerin to 1 part borax, mix the mixture thoroughly and let it settle. The resulting precipitate is filtered off, and the resulting solution of tetraborate in glycerin is used to prepare slimes, and some craftswomen add it to “cold porcelain” to improve its plasticity.

Interesting fact!

In European countries, sodium tetraborate is prohibited for free sale; only industrial enterprises and on an industrial scale can purchase it. In Russia, this drug is prohibited for use in pediatrics. This substance is considered harmful to health!

When using sodium tetraborate as a thickener for slime, you should pay attention to the following nuances:

You should not give slime to play with children under 3 years of age - some of the tetraborate may remain on the child’s hands and get into the mouth from the hands.
Adding tetraborate to the slime must be done with maximum stirring of the mixture - otherwise it will polymerize only part of the slime, and the rest will remain liquid.
Borax in slimes also plays the role of a preservative - without it, slimes are not stored for long, no more than 7 days.

How to make sodium tetraborate from boric acid and laundry soap

An aqueous solution of sodium tetraborate can be prepared as follows:

Grate laundry soap (note – natural laundry soap, without fragrances or any improvers). All you need is 1 teaspoon of grated soap.
Add grated soap and boric acid in an amount of 5 g to 200 ml of clean water. Mix everything well.
Heat the resulting mixture in the microwave, without allowing it to boil, until the laundry soap is completely dissolved.

If desired, the resulting sodium tetraborate solution can be filtered.

How to Make Sodium Tetraborate Powder

If for some reason you need crystalline powder of the sodium salt of boric acid, and only a glycerin solution is available, then you can proceed as follows:

Add cold water to the glycerin solution of tetraborate in a ratio of 1:4, place the resulting mixture in the refrigerator.
Due to the better solubility of boric acid salts in glycerin compared to cold water, tetraborate gradually crystallizes out of solution.
The resulting salt can be filtered.

Note!

It is not recommended to store boric acid salts in the refrigerator. To preserve their properties, it is enough to store them at a temperature not exceeding 250°C and in a dry place.

Tetraborate powder can be used to clean plumbing fixtures from limescale and rust. To do this, cover the contaminated surface with Borax and leave overnight. In addition, tetraborate powder is used in crop production and to kill cockroaches.

Sodium tetraborate powder

This interesting experiment is based on the difference in solubility of sodium tetraborate in hot and cold water: dissolve tetraborate crystals in hot water, pour the solution into a jar, into which drop a snowflake made of wire. After the solution cools, the tetraborate crystallizes on the frame and the snowflake turns white.

Another option for obtaining sodium tetraborate powder:

Take table salt and boric acid crystals in equal proportions.
Mix in a heat-resistant container.
Heat the resulting mixture. During the reaction, a whitish smoke will be released - this is the evaporation of the reaction product - hydrogen chloride. As soon as the smoke emission stops, stop heating and mix the mixture thoroughly. Reheat. The end of the reaction can be considered the moment when no more smoke is released when the mixture is heated.
After cooling, the resulting sodium tetraborate crystals can be used for their intended purpose.

Important!

Since the reaction produces hydrogen chloride, the preparation of sodium tetraborate in a similar way should be carried out in a well-ventilated area.

How to prepare an aqueous solution of sodium tetraborate

An aqueous solution of sodium tetraborate is most often used to kill mold on the walls and ceilings of premises. This solution is applied to the mold-affected area, allowed to dry and cleaned. An aqueous solution of borax can also be used to eliminate odors in the refrigerator - to do this, it is washed with a solution of sodium tetraborate.

Aqueous solution of sodium tetraborate

An aqueous solution of tetraborate can be prepared from a solution of baking soda and boric acid powder. To do this you need:

Take baking soda and boric acid powder in a ratio of 1: 1.5.
Mix the dry mixture of ingredients thoroughly in hot water.
Filter the resulting solution.

Baking soda can be replaced with washing soda, then the ratio of dry ingredients will be 1:2.5 in favor of boric acid.

Useful video on the topic:

From boric acid powder

This recipe produces a weaker activator than traditional sodium tetraborate. It works primarily with thick office glue and is added in fairly large quantities. The slime will need to be kneaded for a long time and excess liquid squeezed out of it.

Components

30 g boric acid powder,
500 ml water.

How to cook

Pour water into a container with a lid.
Then boric acid powder is poured there.
The container should be tightly closed and shaken thoroughly to dissolve the crystals.

Safety precautions when making tetraborate at home

Obtaining substances at home is a very exciting pastime, especially for children. Despite the fact that sodium tetraborate is a fairly harmless substance (hazard class 3), you should not neglect safety measures:

Children must work directly under adult supervision. Even in the simplest manipulations with chemicals there is a risk of injury. And the production of borax from dry sodium hydroxide can only be carried out by an adult.
It is best to use gloves when working, as the substance can cause allergic reactions if it comes into contact with the skin.
No food during the experiments - there may be a substance on your hands that gets into your mouth with food. If ingested, the lethal dose of tetraborate is 10-20 g, for children 4-5 g.
Sodium tetraborate obtained at home cannot be used for medical purposes! If the drug was prescribed by a doctor, then you need to purchase it at the pharmacy, since the concentration of the active substance in dosage forms is strictly observed.
After work, be sure to wash your hands!
If trouble does occur and chemicals get into your mouth or are swallowed, seek medical help immediately!

Basic Recipes

Before making a toy, you need to prepare components and materials: a container in which the components will be mixed, a stirring stick, rubber gloves and a container for further storage of the slime. The ingredients are combined in a bowl and kneaded until the final elastic state. The basic recipe can be varied by adding bright food colors or glitter to the slime, so it will be even more interesting for the child to play.

Rainbow

To make rainbow slime you will need different colors of food coloring. In several bowls, separate for each color, mix the components and bring the mass to the desired consistency. Ready-made slimes of different colors are combined into one, the resulting toy will be multi-colored.

Classic version of glowing slime

To make glowing slime, you need to take:

glue (regular stationery or PVA, homemade glue for slime is also suitable);
activator - sodium tetraborate (you can replace it with lens fluid, borax or borax);
fluorescent marker.

Step-by-step instructions for making glowing slime are presented below:

Prepare a luminous liquid from the core of a felt-tip pen and water.
Glue is added to the resulting solution.
The mixture is supplemented with any activator from the list.
The resulting composition is mixed first with a stick, then as it thickens with hands protected by gloves.

How can I replace sodium tetraborate?

Depending on the purpose for which you plan to use sodium tetraborate, you can choose a substitute:

To exterminate cockroaches, you can use regular baking soda instead of borax.
If tetraborate is used to prepare slime as a thickener, then it can be replaced with starch or Teymurov’s foot ointment, which contains both sodium tetraborate and boric acid.
Furacilin can be used as an antiseptic for stomatitis or thrush instead of sodium tetraborate.
To remove mold, instead of a borax solution, you can use a solution of copper sulfate.

Making sodium tetraborate at home is a very entertaining activity that can bring a lot of pleasure to both adults and children. The main thing is not to forget to take precautions and be careful!

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Of water

In this recipe, before mixing, the water should be slightly warmed up so that the soda dissolves in it better and faster. It is more convenient to place all components into the bottle through a funnel. Then the entire measured amount will be used and not spilled or spilled.

Proven recipe

1 tbsp. l. water,
1 tsp. soda,
1 tbsp. l. boric acid.

Cooking method

The specified amount of soda must be poured into a plastic bottle.
Water is also poured there.
Another essential component is boric acid.
The bottle must be closed and shaken to mix both liquids and dissolve the soda in them.
Then the composition is filtered through a cotton pad to get rid of the remaining particles of soda, and the activator can be used.

Watch this video for a DIY recipe for sodium tetraborate from water:

How to thicken it yourself

If the listed thickeners are missing, you can take another component. We are talking about regular flour, which is a good alternative to starch. You can thicken the slime using this ingredient, but this will negatively affect the result. The toy will be just as elastic, but it will not stretch well.

Activator composition

Making homemade slimes is impossible without an activator. This component starts a chemical reaction in the viscous base and converts it into an elastic mass. When a thickener is added to any polymer base, a partial hardening process begins, as a result of which the original liquid acquires density and elasticity. The main activating substances in toys are boric acid derivatives (borates) and salicylates.

To prepare “taffy”, several types of different thickeners are used. These substances differ in composition and origin. Based on their composition, activators are divided into the following categories:

liquid chemical solutions and aerosols;
dry powdery substances.

It’s not difficult to make the right and high-quality slime - the main thing is to choose the right thickener and mix it thoroughly with the main mass for the slime. Kneading allows you to evenly distribute the active substance so that the entire initial mass is involved in the reaction.

Effective ways to increase slime

If you still fail to save the slime and it has decreased in volume, effective methods will help.

Soaking and stretching

The following recipe will help you make more slime:

take the damaged slime into your hands, actively knead it and stretch it in different directions for 4 minutes;
105 ml of warm water is poured into the container;
immerse the slime in water and stir with a stick for 35 seconds;
take the lump in your hands again and quickly knead it.

Similar steps are repeated several times until the slime structure becomes soft and elastic.

Envelope with salt

If you give a toy moisture, it will become larger. A series of sequential actions should be performed:

immerse the toy in warm water for 3 minutes;
then a pinch of salt is poured onto the surface of the mass and the envelope is folded;
begin to actively knead the lump.

Salt injections

Injections with salt will help return store-bought or homemade slime to its original size. Take a syringe with a needle and fill it with saline solution.

Preparation of the solution

It's easy to prepare the solution:

102 ml of warm water is poured into the container;
add 4-5 g of salt;
immerse the slime in the prepared solution for 4.5 minutes;
take the lump in your hands and knead it with your fingers;
If the mass sticks to the skin, then sprinkle a little salt on the surface of the slime.

Excess liquid from the surface of the slime is removed with paper napkins.

Injection

The next step is a restorative injection:

22 ml of water is poured into the container;
dissolve 2 salts;
the prepared liquid is drawn into a syringe;
The needle is stuck into the slime and slowly saturated with the solution.

It is recommended to repeat the procedure three times with an interval of three hours. Don't inject too often. Otherwise, the composition will deteriorate and elasticity will be lost.

Using shaving gel

Regular shaving gel and baby powder will help increase slime:

A small amount of powder is poured onto the surface of the slime and the mass is intensively kneaded.
After this, two sprays of shaving gel are applied to the surface. Again stretch the slime in different directions.
After just 4.5 minutes the lump will become large and elastic.

Shaving foam will also help save the toy without using other components. Squeeze a small ball of the product onto the lump, and then begin to actively knead it with your fingers for three minutes. The method will help not only increase the volume, but also make the composition soft and viscous.

How to enlarge using kinetic sand

You can enlarge the lump without using shaving foam. The component can be replaced with kinetic sand. It is sold in the stationery and toy department. The composition differs from ordinary sand in that it has a wetter structure. The method is suitable for enlarging only those slimes that initially had kinetic sand added to them:

Kinetic sand 34 g is added to the mass.
The slime is actively kneaded until a homogeneous mass is obtained.
Add a portion of sand again and knead it.

With this method, the mass grows before our eyes. At the same time, the composition becomes soft and viscous.

Adding plasticine

If the slime is made from plasticine and gelatin, then this method of restoring volume is suitable for it. To work, you will need air plasticine, which is sold in small containers with lids.

The mass of such plasticine is very soft and sticks to your hands:

A small piece of airy plasticine is mixed with slime.
Knead the mass intensively with your fingers so that there are no lumps.

As a result of all these actions, you will get a large elastic lump that stretches well and does not stick to your hands. Instead of plasticine, you can use PVA glue. Suitable for both purchased and homemade slimes:

the mass is placed in a polyethylene bag;
add a little glue and tie the bag;
The slime is kneaded until a homogeneous consistency is formed;
then pick up the lump and continue kneading for another 5 minutes.