Science Fair Project on How to Make Crystals Form
A crystal is formed when particles are packed in a repeating and ordered way. Crystals form in a way similar to stacking blocks. Equal sizes and shapes fit together to determine the structure. To grow crystals, one must employ a solid (to be dissolved) and a solute (a liquid that dissolves). When a polar solute is used, like water, the molecules of the solute attracts solid particles and pulls them apart. Growing crystals based on this idea is simply breaking apart a solid and then allowing it to be formed again over time.
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Instructions
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Boil 400 ml of water in two separate pans. Measure 200 ml of sugar and 200 ml of salt. Add the measured sugar to one pan of boiling water and the measured salt to the other. Stir each until the solid is completely dissolved into the water.
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Pour sugar solution into a glass jar before it begins to cool. The glass jar is stable enough to withstand the heat of the boiling water. Place cut cardboard into pan of salt water, soaking it with the solution.
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3
Tie the string to the pencil. Suspend the string in the glass jar of sugar solution by placing the pencil across the top of the jar to hold the sting in the solution. Place the sugar solution jar and the salt solution cardboard in a sunny spot. Leave both solutions in sun for two to three weeks.
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4
Observe crystal growth over time as the water evaporates. Note the differences in structure and growth method between the sugar crystal and salt crystals. Draw conclusions based on your observations.
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References
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