Why do cornstarch and water do that thing?

Chemistry For Your Life

#078

It's one of life's most head-scratchy questions, and one of the most popular chemistry mysteries for youtubers. So let's get to the bottom of this crazy, shape-shifting substance, and finally find out why cornstarch and water do that thing!

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References from this episode

1. https://pursuit.unimelb.edu.au/articles/getting-tomato-sauce-out-of-the-bottle-minus-the-mess
2. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/materials-science/rheology
3. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2016-2017/february-2017/no-hit-wonder-d3o.html
4. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ef502171d
5. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c01760
6. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed082p445
7. http://helix.northwestern.edu/blog/2009/08/walking-water-er-oobleck-science-chicago-finale
8. https://www.pnas.org/content/116/42/20828.short?rss=
9. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/oobleck-bring-science-home/
10. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-quicksand/#:~:text=Quicksand%20is%20a%20mixture%20of,filled%20with%20air%20or%20water.
11. https://www.nature.com/news/2005/050926/full/news050926-9.html
12. https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/microscopy-reveals-why-ketchup-squirts/3002513.article
13. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/2016-2017/february-2017/no-hit-wonder-d3o.html
14. https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/issues/2016-2017/February%202017/chemmatters-feb2017-d3o.pdf

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