Making Polymers – Fluorescent Alginate Worms
by Aldon – Innovating Science

This polymer worm kit is a great hands on experiment that demonstrates basic scientific principles on how polymers are formed. We are constantly encountering polymers in our every day lives. From the paper we write on to the plastic bottles that hold our water — and even to our own DNA, polymers make up a big part of our functional world!

So how do we make a worm out of polymer? We take the sodium alginate solution in a squirt bottle and add it to the calcium chloride solutions. The alginate starts to cross-link and form a gel called calcium alginate. The longer the two stay in contact, the more cross-linking occurs, making the gel more rigid and resembling a worm!

This particular experiment includes the fluorescent dyes: fluorescein (green), rhodamine B (red), and quinine sulfate (blue) added to calcium chloride solutions. Once the worms have formed, they will fluoresce under a black light.

Contains enough material to make several dozen polymer worms.

Kit Includes:

• 6g sodium alginate
• 3 liters of fluorescent dyes (red, blue, and green)
• 3 empty bottles
• 1 instruction guide
• 6 forceps
  

Materials Needed But Not Supplied:

• 3 containers for calcium chloride solutions (such as beakers, glass jars, or plastic trays)
• Black light