Polymers Again?

In this lab, we had a different type of polymer different from Friday. We first started off talking to our partners about how we thought the two would be different and how similar they would be. We looked at the chemical structure and found out it had a stronger bond then the glue-borax polymer. The new polymer's lab was pretty simple. We had looked at it again and I saw that there were less elements and molecules present too. It was much more viscus then the other polymer.
Materials used:
Sodium Silicate
Ethyl Alcohol
2 Small Beakers
Stirring Rod
Paper Towels

We filled one beaker with 12mL of the sodium silicate and the other one with 3mL of the Ethyl Alcohol. We then took the stirring rod and stirred it until the elements starting bonding with each other. It then turn into an icy and rubbery substance. There was water left in it. We dumped that out. I then touched the polymer some more and it broke into tiny pieces. Our goal was to turn it into a bouncy ball. It was pretty hard too. It kept on falling apart. I had to take it to the sink to mold it a bit. Then I squeezed the sides of it and a watery liquid came out. It was really cold too. When I finally molded it it bounced really high!


My Analysis
 The Ethyl Alcohol smelled like bitter nail polish and the sodium didn't really smell like anything. The ball's texture was really bumpy like it was made of tiny stones. It felt a lot like the balls I would get from the dentist. Maybe they use the same materials?