How to Grow Sugar Crystals for a Science Project
Left undisturbed in the proper conditions, sugar will form cubed and hexagonal patterns. This is how old-fashioned rock candy forms--sugar crystals fuse together in repeating patterns. You can use ordinary granulated table sugar as the base for an interesting--and tasty--science project, which allows you to observe the growth of sugar crystals and even eat them afterward. Follow the steps of the experiment accurately, and you will see signs of sugar crystal growth after the first day. If you can boil water, you can grow sugar crystals for your next science project.
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Things You'll Need
- Glass jar
- Dish soap
- Cotton string
- Butter knife
- Scissors
- 2 cups distilled water
- Saucepan
- 4 cups granulated sugar
- Wooden spoon
- Food coloring (optional)
Instructions
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Wash a glass jar with warm, soapy water. Any food residue can affect the outcome of the experiment, clean the glass jar thoroughly.
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2
Tie a piece of cotton string around the center of a butter knife. Rest the butter knife on top of the lid of the jar, allowing the cotton string to fall freely into the center of the jar.
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3
Cut the string with sharp scissors so that it hangs approximately 1/2 inch from the bottom of the jar.
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4
Bring 2 cups of distilled water to a boil in a small saucepan, then remove it from the heat.
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5
Slowly add--spoonful by spoonful--the granulated sugar. Use a wooden spoon to thoroughly mix in each spoonful, until it dissolves, before adding the next. Continue adding sugar until the water becomes so saturated, no more sugar will dissolve in it.
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Remove the string from the glass jar and pour in the sugar solution. Rest the butter knife on top of the jar, allowing the string to dangle in the sugary liquid.
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7
Set the glass jar in an area where it will remain undisturbed. Check the jar every day to see how the sugar crystals have grown on the string. According to Exploratorium, rock candy is complete enough to eat in seven days.
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Tips & Warnings
You can add a few drops of food coloring to the pot after you stir in the sugar to make your science project more colorful.
Place a piece of clean, white paper or a paper towel on top of the jar to keep dust out.
While a ratio of 4 cups of granulated sugar to 2 cups of distilled water is often adequate to effectively complete the experiment, sugar will dissolve at different rates depending on how warm the environment is. Use the 4:2 ratio as a guideline for the experiment.
Carefully pour the spoonfuls of sugar into the water to prevent the boiling water from splashing up on you.
Distilled water is preferred for this experiment. Tap water may contain elements, such as iron, copper or fluoride, that can effect your results.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Sugar on Sticks image by Vanessa van Rensburg from Fotolia.com
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Comments
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uhh this is ok.
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cool
