Have you ever seen those action movie scenes where actors jump through glass windows without getting hurt? How is this possible? How do they do it without having any scratches?
Well, it's because the glass they use to make these scenes isn't real. Real glass is mainly made of silica, a component that is found in sand. Along with other materials, this silica is melted, molded into the desired shape and then cooled.
Using this same melting/cooling method, Escola Kids will teach you now how to make fake glass similar to the one used in movies. This glass is made of sugar, and you can break it without fear of getting hurt!
If you want to make the false glass, follow all the steps correctly and do it only with adult supervision!
The materials you will need are:
*1/2 (half) a teacup of water;
* 1 cup of sugar tea;
* 4 tablespoons of corn syrup (or glucose);
* a spoon;
* a pot with a lid;
* stove;
* a baking sheet;
* kitchen oil.
1- First you put the water in the pan, and a adult must heat it on the stove;
2- After it starts to boil, add the sugar, mixing it well until it melts;
The fake glass is made with sugar
3- Add the corn syrup, stirring a lot;
4- The pan must be covered, boiling for about six minutes;
5- Meanwhile, put the cooking oil on the baking sheet. It will help the glass to peel off the baking sheet more easily;
6- Turn off the heat and transfer to the pan. You can also use a plate or other flat container that doesn't have the edges too high. The longer the edges, the harder it will be to get the glass out later.
You must be very careful in this part because the mixture will be very hot and if it gets on your skin, it can cause serious burns!
The faux glass mixture will be very hot, so be very careful!
7- Take it to the freezer for at least 30 minutes, and the false glass will be ready, just unmold!
You will see that the liquid has hardened and turned transparent, becoming very much like a real glass. But this one tastes like sugar and doesn't hurt if it's broken. If the shape or the plate has embossed designs, the fake glass plate produced will also have these designs, which gives it a very beautiful appearance.
But how did the sugar that used to be white became transparent? Well, thousands of sugar molecules that were joined together in crystals were separated by the action of water. Separated, they were so small that they were practically invisible to the naked eye. Then, at the moment of heating, the sugar molecules joined even more, passing into a liquid state. This transformation from solid to liquid particles is called fusion, as the text shows Physical States of Water and its Changes.
By Jennifer Fogaça
Graduated in Chemistry
