What is sodium tetraborate and how to make slime based on it? Lots of great easy recipes

Why is sodium tetraborate dangerous?

Sodium tetraborate

, which is used in the manufacture of slimes, is a derivative of boric acid, a product with an antiseptic effect. It is not recommended for use in pediatrics due to increased toxicity. A chemical reaction can also be dangerous.

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What is this substance, why is it added to slime?

Sodium tetraborate is popularly called borax or borax . The substance has an antiseptic effect. Thanks to this property, it can be used as a preservative in the cosmetics industry and in the production of medicines. It is an important ingredient in the production of boric acid, which can also be used in making slime.

When producing slimes, tetraborate is used as a thickener. It is added at the final stage, when the mass is ready and painted in the desired color. A few drops of the substance help turn the mixture into a toy. With such a small amount of money, it will last a long time.

Areas of application of sodium tetraborate

Sodium tetraborate has found a wide range of applications. It is often used in a wide variety of fields. Many people know how to make sodium tetraborate at home, but do not know what and where else it is used.

This substance is actively used in the following industries:

• Industrial. During the manufacture of metal elements, in factory conditions, the substance is used during welding. In this case, it is a component of the flux. Sodium tetraborate is also actively used in the manufacture of materials such as glass, glaze and enamel coating. Borax solution is in demand in the mechanical engineering industry. It is added in the manufacture of antifreeze, brake fluids and various machine lubricants.
• Textile production. In this case, sodium tetraborate is used to treat the fabric before dyeing it in the desired color.
• Jewelry industries. In the manufacture of jewelry, this substance is used as a flux, which is simply necessary when soldering jewelry elements. Also, with the help of sodium tetraborate, the surface of the precious metal is cleaned and thus the highest quality connection is achieved. Mainly in this industry, this type of component is used for processing brass, silver and gold products.
• Medicine. Sodium tetraborate is actively used to combat various types of fungi. To do this, experts prescribe medications that contain glycerin and sodium tetraborate. Doctors believe that this substance is a high-quality antiseptic and its characteristics are better than copper and tannin sulfate. Pharmacies sell a substance called boric acid solution.
• Cosmetology. Almost every product used in modern cosmetology contains sodium tetraborate.
• You can use it to make interesting slime toys.

In this case, in some cosmetics the substance softens water for masks and extends the shelf life of cosmetics.

• Soap making and home life. The substance is a component of bath bombs. It is due to its presence that, upon contact with water, the bomb begins to hiss and release bubbles. At home, sodium tetraborate is often used as a poison for insects, and is also used as a cleaning agent and in the role of other substances with various purposes.

Sodium tetraborate in everyday life

Knowing how to make sodium tetraborate, you need to know what it can be used for at home. In some cases, a substance may simply become irreplaceable.

At home it is often used as:

• A detergent that can clean any surface. To use this substance for cleaning a room, you must first prepare it. To do this, you need to dissolve 2 teaspoons of borax solution in several glasses of water. To use the substance as a detergent, you need to dissolve 2 teaspoons of a water solution in 200 milligrams of water. After this, the composition is filled into a spray bottle, which can be taken from an empty window cleaner, and during wet cleaning, it is necessary to add the product to a container of water. Using a borax solution in your home will keep your room sparkling clean. And knowing how to make sodium tetraborate at home, you can save money on purchasing ready-made compounds.
• Means for removing rodents and insects from living quarters. Surely every apartment owner knows the old-fashioned method of fighting cockroaches and other insects, organizing which involves making balls of potatoes, egg yolk and boric acid. This mixture is poisonous and perfectly protects the apartment from the appearance of cockroaches. But when using such balls, it is important that insects do not have access to water. If they get the water, your efforts will be in vain. If you live in a private house and suddenly find mice, then sodium tetraborate powder must be scattered along the baseboards. Using this method, rodents will leave your cozy den.
• Substances for removing mold and fungi. Mostly, mold and mildew appear in a damp room, which in any house or apartment is the bathroom. Knowledge of how to make sodium tetraborate will come to your aid in this case. The finished composition can be applied only to those surfaces where there are no coloring materials. If you use the mixture on a painted base, the paint will simply peel off. Having prepared the solution, it must be mixed with water, but in such a way that the result is a thick consistency that is similar to toothpaste.
• The resulting mass is applied to the location of the mold and left overnight. In the morning, the mixture can be removed and only a clean surface will remain in place of mold or mildew. Of course, you can remove mold by drying the area and washing it, but an effective way is to use sodium tetraborate, which will remove fungus and mold for a long time.
• Composition for removing dirt from plumbing fixtures. In some situations, even the most expensive chemicals and detergents cannot remove limescale deposits on the surface of a sink or toilet. Just for such cases, sodium tetraborate is used, which does not have to be purchased, but can be made independently. To do this, just study the material on how to make sodium tetraborate at home. To remove plaque, you need to pour the prepared mixture in the amount of one glass onto the surface of the earthenware product, wait overnight and clean the surface with a brush in the morning. After this, you will be convinced that the plaque that expensive products could not cope with simply disappeared and left absolutely no traces behind.

Of course, the substance can be purchased at a pharmacy, and the powder at construction sites. But it is much cheaper and more convenient to prepare it yourself. Knowing how to make sodium tetraborate, you will not spend a lot of time and money, because it is made quite quickly and from available material.

Use in medicine

The substance sodium tetraborate is actively used in the medical field, as it has antiseptic characteristics, perfectly fights fungal diseases, and even suppresses thrush pathogens.

Medical experts say that sodium tetraborate prevents bacteria from attaching to the mucous membrane and stops the development of pathogenic microorganisms. It is also the main component of anti-inflammatory drugs that are prescribed for the treatment and prevention of respiratory diseases.

Sodium tetraborate with glycerin is used for external use, since in this case the active substance begins its effect immediately upon application to damaged areas of the body.

The substance penetrates the gastrointestinal tract through the mucous membrane and is then excreted from the body by the kidneys. The removal of the substance from the body takes about a week. The removal of the substance from the body takes about a week.

Glycerin in the composition of sodium tetraborate is an additional component that performs the function of moisturizing and promotes more effective penetration into the deep layer of the affected skin.

Often sodium tetraborate solution is used to treat:

• infectious inflammation of the genital organs – thrush;
• fungal infection of the oral mucosa - stomatitis;
• agranulocytic tonsillitis, during which necrotic tissue decay in the tonsils and throat spreads throughout the body along with the blood flow;
• an inflammatory process that occurs in the area of ​​the palatine tonsils - tonsillitis;
• acute pharyngitis, in which the mucous membrane of the pharynx becomes inflamed;
• laryngitis, during which the tissues of the larynx become inflamed;
• urinary tract diseases;
• diaper rash and bedsores.

In metallurgy

Borax (boric acid solution)
Sodium tetraborate has a wide range of uses, but despite this, it is actively used specifically for soldering copper pipes. The connection of copper material using this substance is of high quality, reliable and durable.

Using sodium tetraborate, you can not only design a new pipeline system, but also restore the old one. A similar substance when soldering copper elements has a number of advantages, but there are also disadvantages when using the composition.

The main advantages of using sodium tetraborate when soldering copper pipes:

• the ability to solder elements at different temperatures;
• by using sodium tetraborate, you can achieve a high-quality connection of parts, even in the case when elements made of metallic and non-metallic materials are soldered;
• although the quality of the seams of the connected elements is high, if necessary they can be unsoldered;
• since melting sodium tetraborate requires a high temperature, many will think that the metal is not deformed, no, because the temperature at which the substance melts is not so high as to deform and spoil the material;
• better adhesion of solder to metal is ensured;
• a significant increase in productivity when soldering using sodium tetraborate;
• Even if a novice welder does the soldering, the seam turns out smooth and of high quality.

Despite the large number of advantages of soldering copper products using sodium tetraborate, there are also some disadvantages.

Namely:

• the release of a large amount of salt during the melting of sodium tetraborate, and since they stick to the material they must be cleaned off at the end;
• the soldering agent has the ability to accumulate moisture from the surrounding area, even when the lid is tightly closed;
• A novice solder will need some time to obtain a high-quality seam, so it is necessary to first practice soldering using sodium tetraborate.

Overdose

In practice, it is impossible to get toxic poisoning from the drug. However, if the drug is abused, the following complications may occur:

• headache;
• stomach ache;
• attacks of nausea/vomiting;
• arrhythmia of the heart;
• decreased appetite;
• convulsions;
• loss of consciousness.

In more serious cases, disruption of important body systems may occur.

Are there any side effects after using borax in glycerin? The body may react to tetraborate in the following ways:

• swelling of the mucous membrane;
• irritation at the localization site;
• slight itching.

However, these reactions are typical for children prone to allergies. The drug should be discontinued.

How to make sodium tetraborate at home

To use sodium tetraborate, it is not necessary to purchase it. And you don’t need to be a chemist to get it yourself from available materials using ready-made recipes. Naturally, the obtained substances should under no circumstances be used for medical purposes; only special pharmacological forms should be taken for treatment.

With boric acid

1. Pour the contents of 1 bottle of boric acid alcohol solution into a bowl and, gradually adding baking soda there, stir until completely dissolved. When the soda stops dissolving, filter out its remaining residue by passing the liquid through a dry paper napkin folded several times.
2. Mix equal amounts of boric acid crystals and table salt in a metal bowl and place on low heat. During the heating process, white smoke will be released from the mixture - this is a volatile compound of hydrogen with chlorine, resulting from a substitution reaction. When the evolution of hydrogen chloride stops, remove the dish from the heat, mix thoroughly and heat again. The process is considered complete when no smoke appears during the next heating.
3. Pour 1 glass of water into a bowl, add 5 g of boric acid and 1 teaspoon of grated laundry soap. Move and heat the solution in a microwave oven or in a steam bath. Once cooled, you can strain it through a paper filter.

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Without boric acid

As a slime activator, sodium tetraborate is used in the form of solutions that can be easily prepared at home. To do this, you will need borax powder purchased at a hardware store.

1. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of borax in 1 glass of water.
2. Dissolve 20 g of borax in 80 g of glycerin.

That's it, the thickener is ready.