Ingredients

• The two main ingredients needed to create rock candy crystal are water and sucrose, also know as table sugar. This type of sugar is used because fructose and glucose can prevent large crystals from forming. Additional, optional ingredients include food color and food flavoring. These ingredients are added to the mixture before crystallization takes place.
  
  

Crystallization Process

• Rock candy crystals can be made at home through a process called "supersaturation." Sugar is dissolved into a pot full of heated water until it reaches its saturation point. A wooden stick or piece of string is placed in the water and left to cool. The sucrose forms on the item as it cools, and the finished result is stick of large crystals.
  
  

Time Frame

• The process of growing rock candy crystals does not happen over night. The sugar needs time to crystallized in the water before formation can begin. Rock candy crystals are likely to start forming within the first few days, however the final product is not ready for at least 7 days. Mixing the sugar into boiling water speeds up the process but the crystals will not be as large.
  
  

Rock Candy Industry

• Sugar crystals are known as rock candy because they resemble natural rock crystals. It was originally sold in saloons in the 1800s to ease patron's cold symptoms, and was often dissolved into rye whiskey. Making rock formations has since become a very popular children's activity because the progress of the crystal formation can be observed each day and it teaches the children facts about science.