How To Grow Crystals

A crystal is a substance that has a highly ordered internal structure and is formed from a regular and repeated pattern of connected atoms, molecules and ions. Crystals can be shaped or cut to give them a characteristic shape. The common crystals available at home are salt and sugar. Precious gemstones like diamonds, rubies and emeralds are also crystals. Crystals can well be grown at home too, to help children learn chemistry in a fun and easy manner. Usually, sugar, alum and salt are used to prepare crystals at home. Read through the following lines to know how to make crystals.

Easy Crystal Growing Recipes

Sugar Crystals

Add 1-cup water to a saucepan and keep it for boiling.
When the water has boiled, pour it into a clean glass jar and carefully start adding sugar.
Stir in one teaspoon of sugar at a time, till the time the solution reaches its saturation point.
When the solution has saturated, the extra sugar will start settling at the bottom of the glass.
Add a few drops of food coloring to the solution.
Take a cotton string and tie one end to the center of the pencil and the other to a paper clip.
Place the pencil on the top of the jar, such that the paper clip is almost at the center of the glass jar. Adjust it accordingly.
Leave the glass jar undisturbed in a corner for at least 24 hours.
The next day, you will find colorful sugar crystals growing on the sides of the paper clip.

Salt Crystals

Pour 1 cup of clean water into a saucepan and boil it.
Pour it into a clean glass jar.
Gradually add 2 to 3 cups of salt, in small amounts, to the water, while stirring continuously.
Allow the solution to come to a saturation point, where no more salt gets dissolved in the water solvent.
When the salt, starts settling at the bottom of the glass, add 2 to 3 drops of food coloring to the solution.
Take a cotton string and tie one end to a piece of cardboard and the other to the middle of a long pencil.
Drop the cardboard, tied to the string, into the glass jar.
Place the pencil on the rim of the jar such that the string hangs in the center of the jar, with the cardboard rested in the solution.
Place the glass jar in a corner and leave it undisturbed for about 24 to 48 hours.
After 24 hours, salt crystals will start forming on the cardboard piece.

Alum Crystals

Boil ½ cup of tap water and pour into a clean jar.
Add around 2 to 2½ tablespoons of alum to the water, until no more will dissolve.
Leave the jar undisturbed overnight.
Pour the liquid into a clean jar, making sure that no solid material gets transferred into the new jar.
You will find crystals at the bottom of the original jar.
Select the best ones and tie a nylon fishing line around them.
Hang the crystals in the second jar such that it is covered by the liquid and does not touch the bottom or sides of the jar.
Leave the container aside and allow more crystals to form, till they stop growing.
Remove the finished crystals and dry them.

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