grow crystals
It is rather amazing that under the right conditons some
molecules become arranged to produce beautiful crystals. Some
very stunning naturally formed crystals have been found. You
may enjoy producing a few crystals of your own, although you
won't get the dramatic results that nature sometimes shows us.
Here is how to make sugar crystals. Bring one cup of water to
a boil and then add 1 1/2 cups of sugar. Stir until dissolved.
Remove the pan from the stove and allow it to cool for about
twenty minutes. Pour the solution into a drinking glass. Tie
a string to the middle of a pencil or similar object. Lay the
pencil across the glass so that the string hangs down into
the liquid. Place the glass some place where it will not be
disturbed for several days. By then you should see many
crystals formed on the string. A few of them may be nicely
shaped.
Alum can also be used for growing crystals. Mix equal volumes
of alum and water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Leave the alum
solution in a saucer until crystals form. Choose one of the
largest and most nicely shaped. Tie this crystal onto the end
of a string as a seed crystal. Allow a solution of alum and
water to cool to room temperature. Food coloring can be added
to the solution to give the crystal color. Suspend the seed
crystal in a glass of the solution. The seed crystal should
not be near the bottom or the sides of the glass.
Crystals can also be grown from boric acid, baking
soda, salt, Epsom salt, cream of tartar, sodium carbonate
[washing soda] and many other less common chemicals. In gen
eral dissolve as much of the chemical as possible in room
temperature water, warm the water and dissolve some more of
the chemical in the water. That 'some more' is the amount
available to produce the crystal. Additional chemical will
become available if enough time is given for some of the water
to evaporate as the crystal is forming.
Instead of hanging the seed crystal, it can just be dropped
into the glass. But in that case the seed crystal will likely
become part of the many smaller crystals which usually form
on the bottom and sides of the glass. It all depends on what
what you're going for. The seed crystal is used to try to get
one large nicely shaped crystal. If you like, leave it out
to see what happens.
Another alternative is not to heat the water. Just dissolve
as much chemical as possible in the water. Get rid of the
undissolved chemical by filtering through paper towel. The
crystals will form as the water evaporates. This method is
simpler but it could take several weeks.