How to Grow Crystals at Home
What is a crystal?
A crystal is a solid whose molecules (or atoms) are arranged in a repeating pattern. Crystals are made from fluids or gas by Crystallization. Crystallization can be by freezing from a fluid or solution. For example, Ice crystal is made from frozen water molecules. Sometimes heat ad pressure are applied to form crystals. Diamond is a carbon crystal formed under heat and pressure.
You can find crystals in nature. Salt occurs naturally as cubic crystals. It consists of tiny cubes tightly bound together. You also can make crystals artificially. Here is a great science project to make and grow crystals.
Materials
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borax
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heat-safe glass jar
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water
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thread
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stick
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spoon
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food coloring
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craft pipe cleaners.
Procedures
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Bend the pipe cleaners into the shape you want. Make sure it fits the jar.
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Tie a string to the pipe cleaner and a stick.
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Boil some water and pour in the heat-safe glass jar.
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Add borax into the jar and stir until it dissolves.
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Add food coloring.
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Put your pipe cleaner in the mixture.
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Wait for 24 hours and see what happens.
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Take them out and check the crystals.
It’s amazing that we can make and grow crystals at home. The sparkling crystals are really pretty. Try to make crystals in
different shapes and size, and even in letters.
Tips!
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Do not add too much borax. If the water is cloudy and if you can see the borax sinking to the bottom of the jar that means you have added too much borax.
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If the pipe cleaner touches the bottom of the jar, adjust the length of the string. Otherwise, as the water cools, it may stick to the bottom.
Science Behind It
Do you remember that I asked you to put borax in hot water? Borax is dissolved in hot water much easier than in cold water. That means hot water can hold more molecules than cold water. As the water cools, it can hold fewer borax molecules. The borax molecules, which the water cannot hold anymore, start to crystallize onto any surface they stick to. They find out pipe cleaners and stick to the pipe cleaners. This is how and why crystals are formed.