Secrets To Bigger Crystals With A Crystal Growing Kit
If you've ever grown crystals, you have learned that bigger is always better. Everyone wants to make the biggest crystals. This article reveals the secrets to growing bigger crystals with or without the help of a crystal growing science kit.
A great place to start crystal growing is to purchase a science kit at any toy store. A good science kit will provide guidance and materials to get started. However, kids can achieve amazing crystal growing results even without a science kit. Basic crystals can be grown with simple table salt and hot water. Boil the water, and stir as much salt into the hot water as possible until no more salt will dissolve. Soak a small piece of cardboard in the solution until the cardboard is totally saturated, then set the cardboard in a warm and sunny place to dry. As it dries, tiny salt crystals will become visible.
To grow a larger crystal, you have to begin with a small 'seed' crystal. After you have stirred salt into boiling water, you can pour a bit of the solution into a saucer or petri dish, then place it in a warm, sunny place to allow the solution to evaporate and crystals to form. Once the crystals have formed, select the best crystal and tie it onto a nylon fishing line. You may need to scrape small grooves into your crystal to get it to stay on the nylon.
Once again, you will need to create a supersaturated salt solution. Pour the solution into a clean container and allow the solution to cool. Suspend your seed crystal in the solution with a pencil or knife. The seed crystal should not touch the bottom or sides of the container. Finally, set aside the solution in an area where it can sit undisturbed. Allowing the crystal to grow slowly will increase your odds of growing a perfect crystal. This means you should find a cooler, shaded place where the crystal will not be subject to vibrations or other outside forces.
A crystal is a solid material consisting of atoms, molecules, and ions arranged in an orderly repeating pattern. The process of crystal growing, or crystallization, occurs when there are specific changes in the temperature and solubility of liquids and solids. Sometimes, crystallization is used as a scientific technique to chemically separate liquids from solid. However, crystal growing can also be used as a children's educational technique.
Before a child attempts crystal growing on their own, it is helpful to gain a basic understanding of how crystals form. Crystallization requires a liquid (such as water), called a solvent, usually with another material (such as sugar or salt), called a solute, dissolved in that liquid. It begins with a process called nucleation, in which the solute molecules gather into clusters. Unless the temperature is at a specific level (which varies depending on the type of crystal being formed) and the clusters reach a certain size, the solute clusters will be unstable and will dissolve into the solution again. If the cluster reaches a certain size at a certain temperature, it will form the "nuclei" or core of a crystal. This allows the crystal growth phase to begin. Additional molecules of solute will join to the cluster, eventually forming a crystal that is visible to the naked eye.
Crystals are a fascinating solid, and crystal growing is an equally fascinating exploration of the science behind crystals. While it is helpful to have a good science kit to pull it all together for you, it is also possible to build large crystals even without one. Crystal growth can inspire children to learn further about the chemical or physiological sciences. They can discover crystals throughout the world around them, in everything from snowflakes to gemstones.
A great place to start crystal growing is to purchase a science kit at any toy store. A good science kit will provide guidance and materials to get started. However, kids can achieve amazing crystal growing results even without a science kit. Basic crystals can be grown with simple table salt and hot water. Boil the water, and stir as much salt into the hot water as possible until no more salt will dissolve. Soak a small piece of cardboard in the solution until the cardboard is totally saturated, then set the cardboard in a warm and sunny place to dry. As it dries, tiny salt crystals will become visible.
To grow a larger crystal, you have to begin with a small 'seed' crystal. After you have stirred salt into boiling water, you can pour a bit of the solution into a saucer or petri dish, then place it in a warm, sunny place to allow the solution to evaporate and crystals to form. Once the crystals have formed, select the best crystal and tie it onto a nylon fishing line. You may need to scrape small grooves into your crystal to get it to stay on the nylon.
Once again, you will need to create a supersaturated salt solution. Pour the solution into a clean container and allow the solution to cool. Suspend your seed crystal in the solution with a pencil or knife. The seed crystal should not touch the bottom or sides of the container. Finally, set aside the solution in an area where it can sit undisturbed. Allowing the crystal to grow slowly will increase your odds of growing a perfect crystal. This means you should find a cooler, shaded place where the crystal will not be subject to vibrations or other outside forces.
A crystal is a solid material consisting of atoms, molecules, and ions arranged in an orderly repeating pattern. The process of crystal growing, or crystallization, occurs when there are specific changes in the temperature and solubility of liquids and solids. Sometimes, crystallization is used as a scientific technique to chemically separate liquids from solid. However, crystal growing can also be used as a children's educational technique.
Before a child attempts crystal growing on their own, it is helpful to gain a basic understanding of how crystals form. Crystallization requires a liquid (such as water), called a solvent, usually with another material (such as sugar or salt), called a solute, dissolved in that liquid. It begins with a process called nucleation, in which the solute molecules gather into clusters. Unless the temperature is at a specific level (which varies depending on the type of crystal being formed) and the clusters reach a certain size, the solute clusters will be unstable and will dissolve into the solution again. If the cluster reaches a certain size at a certain temperature, it will form the "nuclei" or core of a crystal. This allows the crystal growth phase to begin. Additional molecules of solute will join to the cluster, eventually forming a crystal that is visible to the naked eye.
Crystals are a fascinating solid, and crystal growing is an equally fascinating exploration of the science behind crystals. While it is helpful to have a good science kit to pull it all together for you, it is also possible to build large crystals even without one. Crystal growth can inspire children to learn further about the chemical or physiological sciences. They can discover crystals throughout the world around them, in everything from snowflakes to gemstones.
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