How to Make Great Crystals on a String
Beautiful colorful crystals are easy to grow on a string. These crystals start out as a supersaturated mixture of sugar and water. As the water evaporates, the sugar clings to the string and the crystals form. This process of evaporation takes several weeks. Every day, the crystals will grow larger and develop their shape. Growing sugar crystals on a string makes a great science fair project or just a fun family activity. This project involves boiling water and requires adult supervision.
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Things You'll Need
- Scissors
- Cotton or wool string
- Pencil
- Glass cup or jar (about 16 oz.)
- Paperclip
- Pan
- 1 cup distilled water
- 3 cups sugar
- Stirring spoon
- Food coloring
- Plate
- Paper towel
- Magnifying glass
Instructions
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Cut a piece of cotton string or wool yarn about 12 inches long.
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Tie one end of the string around the middle of a pencil. Lay the pencil across the top of the jar. Hang the string into the jar without it touching the sides. Adjust the length of the string so that it is about 1/2 inch from the bottom of the jar. Tie a paperclip to the end of the string. The paperclip will act as a weight to pull the string down into the sugar water solution.
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Boil 1 cup of distilled water. Slowly add the sugar to the water 1 tbsp. at a time. Stir the mixture with a spoon until it dissolves. Stop adding sugar when the water becomes supersaturated and the sugar can no longer dissolve. Add a few drops of food coloring to the sugar solution to make colorful crystals.
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Let the sugar solution cool overnight. Prep the string by dipping it in the sugar solution and place on a plate to dry overnight.
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Pour the cool sugar solution into the jar. Do not pour into the jar any sugar crystals that have not dissolved. After the sugar solution is in the jar, place the pencil and string across the top of the jar. The string should hang down into the sugar solution.
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Place the jar in an area where it will not be disturbed. Put a paper towel across the top of the jar to keep dust out. Check the progress of the crystals daily. In a few days, the crystals will begin to form. Use a magnifying glass to examine the crystals. You will notice that as the water evaporates, sugar crystals will form along the string. The amount of humidity in the air makes a difference in the growth rate of the crystals.
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Let your crystals grow for several weeks. Take the string crystals out of the jar when they have stopped growing and place the string on a plate to dry.
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Tips & Warnings
Substitute salt for the sugar and see what happens.
Examine the crystals under a microscope.
Take pictures daily to document the progress of the crystals.
Substitute a craft stick for the pencil or a plastic jar for the glass jar.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Antique Cup image by Vanessa van Rensburg from Fotolia.com
