Crystals

Once upon a time it was my sister's birthday and she got a crystal growing kit. This inspired us to grow lots of crystals, and that is what this blog entry is about.


Experiment one:

The crystal garden.

This crystal garden experiment took about one day to grow and it had a mountain, two trees and some bushes. The garden was made out of  absorbent blotting paper, which when in position on the plastic base, you then pour a saturated solution of crystals and water on it. The solution absorbs into the blotting paper. The blotting paper has dyes at the tips of the branches and the tips of the bushes. When the solution absorbs into the paper, it carries the dye along with it, forming coloured crystals.

Crystal garden.

Experiment two:

Salt crystals.

To make salt crystals you have to pour some hot water onto a piece of tin foil that is in the shape of a bowl once you have done that place the tin foil bowl onto a tray then slowly pour in a little bit of salt, wait for it to dissolve then pour a bit more. Do that until the salt stops dissolving then you have a saturated liquid. put the tray in the oven and wait for the water to evaporate, then you will have salt crystals. The water is a solvent and the salt is a soluble.



Experiment three:

Monoammonium Phosphate crystals.

These crystals are made by pouring a crystal compound into hot water, it breaks up into tiny particles in the water. What you have now is a saturated solution, some of the water will start to evaporate and the water will not be able to keep the particles dissolved and some will start to join again and slowly more particles join them, making a crystal.

Monoammonium Phosphate crystals.

Look out for my next blog entry that is also on crystals!