An unusual experiment on growing crystals from salt can be done with children. This process is completely safe, as only salt and water is used and no additional reagents are required. Making such a craft with your own hands is quite simple, but you need to consider a few rules.

How to grow a crystal from salt - preparing the tool and material

Before you start making crafts, prepare necessary tools and determine the location for the container. The maturation process of the product will take some time, while the dishes cannot be moved and tilted.

• The main component for the formation of a crystal is salt. To get a smooth and transparent surface on the craft, use sea salt. It does not have impurities and small debris, like table salt.
• Crystal formation will occur in water. It should also be well cleaned of impurities. It is best to pour distilled water or boil the liquid and filter.
• The utensils for the experiment should not be metal. Since it can oxidize due to the action of saline. The volume of the growing dish does not matter and is only limited by the size of the desired crystal.
• Keep the container free of debris and debris. They will prevent the growth of salt on the main crystal. Therefore, before the experiment, the dishes should be thoroughly washed and dried.
• As a base, you can use a thread, fluffy wire, dried twigs or a large piece of salt.
• In addition, you will need: a wooden spoon for stirring, a piece of gauze or a bandage, paper towels, colorless nail polish, a saucepan and a pencil.

How to grow a salt crystal with many facets

The initial stage of the experiment involves boiling the liquid. Therefore, help the children warm the liquid so that they do not burn themselves.

• Prepare 120 ml. purified or distilled water. Pour it into a saucepan, put on the stove and bring to a boil.

• Decide on the type of salt to form the crystal. So, with the help of ordinary table salt, the craft is formed within a few days, sea salt forms a crystal in 1-2 days, and with iodized salt, you will have to wait a very long time for the growth of the product.

• Prepare a saturated salt solution. You can understand its readiness by grains that could not dissolve in water. To do this, add salt to warm water and stir the solution thoroughly. First, add half a glass of salt. If the water is clear without grains, then add another quarter cup.

• Pour the solution into a dry and clean container. Make sure that the sediment stays in the pot, otherwise it will fall to the bottom of the jar, and will reduce the growth of the main crystal.

• On the this stage you can add a dye to change the color of the crystal. But do not add too much of it, as in large volumes the tool will make the craft brittle.

• Prepare the thread for the warp. It is desirable that it be thick with a rough surface. Tie it to a pencil or a long skewer. Their size should be larger than the diameter of the container for growing a crystal and with edges for stability.

• Measure the desired length of thread and cut it. Do not let it touch the bottom of the container.

• Position the pencil on top of the container. Make sure that the thread does not stick to the walls of the jar.

• Place the brine container on a flat surface. If you want to grow a crystal with large branches, then keep the liquid with the thread in a warm place. To form a crystal with smooth surfaces, put the container in the cold.

• Now you just have to watch the growth of the crystal.

How to grow one big crystal from salt

To get a large crystal with smooth edges after the experiment, it is necessary to use a slightly different technology.

• Prepare a concentrated salt solution as in the previous paragraph. Pour it into a container. But for this growing method, choose a flat and wide container. So a large crystal will not be able to connect with the rest, smaller parts.

• Leave the container with the solution for 2 days for the formation of small crystals. Then pour out the water and choose the most suitable piece for growing.

• Tie a small crystal to the fishing line. In this case, it is necessary to use a smooth thread or thin wire (fishing line) so that salt grains cannot be fixed on it.

• Prepare a saturated salt solution again. But this time, do not bring the water to a boil, but only warm it to room temperature.

• Lower the crystal on the fishing line into the prepared container and pour the saline solution in a thin stream. Secure the fishing line to the surface of the container with a pencil. In this case, the crystal should be located in the center of the container.

• Growing a crystal in this way will take much longer than the previous option. Therefore, every two weeks, prepare a new salt solution and be sure to filter it before pouring it into the container.
• When the crystals have grown to the desired size, remove them from the liquid, dry them and be sure to cover them with a thick layer of colorless nail polish. It will not allow water to evaporate, which will make the craft more durable for a long period.

It is very easy and safe to conduct an experiment on growing a crystal from salt at home. But to get desired effect strictly follow the rules specified in the article and do not forget about the finishing of the product.

Growing a real crystal is quite simple, interesting and informative. This article talks about how to do it at home.

Crystals are formed from any substances whose atoms and molecules are grouped into an ordered structure. They do not require a lab or special equipment to grow them. The simplest reagents that are always at hand will do.

Growing a crystal is one of the easiest and safest chemistry experiments available at home. Even a child of primary school age can conduct it under the supervision of adults.

The reward for your efforts will be an item of extraordinary beauty that you create with your own hands.

Types of crystals

1. A monocrystal is a solid large crystal, for example, an artificial stone. It is formed under the condition that the crystallization processes are extremely slow.
2. A polycrystal is formed when crystallization proceeds rapidly. In this case, many tiny crystals are formed. This is how metals behave.

Ways to grow crystals at home

One of the easiest ways to grow a crystal is to cool a saturated solution. What processes take place?

1. In warm water, the substance chosen for the experiment (for example, salt) dissolves completely.
2. The temperature of the solution is lowered: this reduces the solubility of the salt. An undissolved salt is formed, which precipitates.
3. The formation of a precipitate begins with the formation of small grains both in the solution itself and on the surface of the container in which it is placed.
4. If there are no foreign inclusions in the solution (ordinary dust particles, villi, etc.), and cooling occurs gradually, these grains-crystals coalesce into larger and regular crystals.
5. Rapid cooling causes the formation of many tiny irregular crystals at once, which do not connect with each other and inhibit each other's growth.

The crystal will also grow if the solvent (water) is gradually removed from the saturated solution. How to do this and what will happen in the vessel?

1. Dishes with a saturated solution must be kept at a constant temperature for a long time.
2. The ingress of litter and dust should be excluded, as well as slowing down the evaporation of water (for this, it is enough to cover the container with paper).
3. You can grow a crystal on some kind of suspension in the middle of the container (then it will acquire the correct shape), or at the bottom of the container.
4. If the crystal grows at the bottom, it must be rotated periodically to achieve symmetry.
5. In place of the evaporated water, a solution of the same consistency should be added as it was at the beginning of the experiment.

The basic principle in this case remains the same: the slower the processes that affect crystallization go, the more beautiful, larger and more correct the crystals will turn out. If the original crystal, which served as the basis for growth, had an irregular shape, it will fill in the missing parts during growth and take on a configuration typical of the nature of its substance. So copper sulfate will eventually grow into a rhombus, and salts of potassium chromium alum form an octahedron.

It is believed that at home only a small crystal can grow from improvised means. This is not so: with due attention, there is every chance to grow a crystal of any size and weight at home. In fact, for this it is enough to continue the crystallization procedure until the desired result is achieved. Of course, you must immediately choose a container that is suitable in size.

Preservation of crystals

Failure to comply with storage conditions may lead to the destruction of the crystal. It is necessary to familiarize yourself with the characteristics of the selected substance in advance in order to avoid disappointment at the end of such a long and painstaking work.

Thus, the chiselled facets of an alum crystal under the action of ordinary dry air will fade due to loss of moisture and crumble, forming a gray powder. The same will happen with sodium sulfate and thiosulfate, salts of manganese, zinc, nickel, Rochelle salt. The only way out is to place the crystals in sealed transparent vessels. Some recommend covering the crystals with clear varnish, but this only delays the death. And yet - varnished edges lose their original luster and look artificial.

High temperatures destroy crystals grown from copper sulphate and potassium alum. The life of such crystals can be extended by storage in a domestic refrigerator. However, even here they will last about 2 years.

Another problem of crystals of water-soluble substances is that they are destroyed by temperature changes due to moisture, which is stored in a small amount inside them. For this reason, specks, chips appear, the edges are washed off, and the gloss is lost.

Perhaps the most stable of the substances popular for growing crystals is table salt.

What can you grow a crystal from?

In addition to the above substances, crystals at home can be grown from sugar.

It is much more difficult, but at the same time more interesting to grow artificial stones (amethysts, quartzites, rubies, etc.). This is a rather laborious process that requires special equipment to maintain constant temperature, pressure, humidity and other indicators important for the success of the experiment. In other words, to get an artificial stone, you need a real laboratory.

What should be the substance for home growing a crystal?

1. Safe, non-toxic. Not all substances with a crystalline structure correspond to this requirement. For example, potassium cyanide KCN (or sodium sulfide Na2S) also forms crystals of its characteristic shape. But it is impossible to conduct experiments with him at home, because he enters into an oxidation reaction with oxygen in the composition of the air and releases toxic substances that are dangerous to humans.
2. The second important quality is stability. That is, the selected substance must enter into a reversible reaction with water. In addition, resistance to temperature fluctuations is important. Some organic matter can be irreversibly destroyed when exposed to hot water (hydrolysis reaction).
3. The cost of reagents. As you know, the first experience (or several) may not be very successful, therefore, for starters, it is better to opt for inexpensive and affordable substances.
4. Yes, growing crystals will require a lot of purified water - this should also be taken care of in advance.
5. The ability to dissolve in water. Before starting the experiment, you should find out what consumption of the selected substance for a given volume of water will be required. To grow a sugar crystal, for example, you need to dissolve at least 2 kg of sugar in 1 liter of water. So it is better to pre-graph the solubility of the starting material. To do this, subtract the mass of the same volume of the filtered solution from the mass of a glass of water after the dissolution is completed and the temperature stabilizes. This will help to get an idea of ​​how much substance for crystallization is needed for a given volume of water.

How to grow a salt crystal

The easiest way to practice on ordinary table salt. Then you will not need special chemical reagents, only salt and purified water.

Step 1. Prepare a salt crystal by tying it with a thin thread fixed in the middle of a small stick (pencil, pen).

salt crystal

Purpose: to place the crystal so that it is immersed in the solution, but not in contact with the surface of the vessel.

We tie a salt crystal to a thread and place it in a glass

Step 2. Pour warm water into a container (transparent so that you can observe the growth of the crystal) and add salt. Stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Then add salt and repeat. It is necessary to salt the water until the salt stops dissolving. This is noticeable by the appearance of sediment at the bottom of the vessel.

Step 3. The solution must be gradually heated by placing it in a container of a larger diameter with hot water. As a result, the precipitate will dissolve. If there is something left at the bottom, it is better to pour the solution into a clean bowl.

Step 4. Place the container with the resulting solution in a place with a stable temperature. Immerse the seed crystal on a thread into the solution. From above, the vessel with the solution must be covered with paper.

Embryo crystal on a thread is immersed in a solution

Step 5. The crystallization process has begun. Further, when the water evaporates, it will be necessary to add a solution of the same salt content to the container as it was at the beginning of the experiment. After a while, it will become noticeable that the original crystal has increased in size. You can grow it as much as you like, as long as the size of the container and patience are enough. The resulting crystal will be quite durable.

How to grow a sugar crystal

Sugar crystals can be used as table decoration or candy for kids. But they are quite expensive due to the high consumption of sugar. For 2 cups of water, you will need a total of 5 cups of granulated sugar.

sugar crystals

The process for preparing the solution is similar to how it is done for salt crystals. It is most convenient to grow sugar crystals on toothpicks or wooden skewers. For "seed" it is enough to dip the skewer in syrup and dip in sugar so that it evenly adheres to the surface. You need to wait for the sugar to stick well and dry.

To form colored crystals, it is worth adding food coloring to the syrup (the best option is juices).

It will take 1 week to grow a sugar crystal from the specified amount of ingredients.

Sugar crystals on sticks (Video)

This video shows how to grow edible sugar crystals that are not only beautiful to look at, but also very tasty.

How to grow a copper sulfate crystal

Salt crystals are transparent white, and copper sulfate gives a rich blue tint.

Copper sulfate crystal

It is no more difficult to grow such a crystal than a hydrochloric one: you will need a saturated solution and a seed crystal on a thread.

Copper sulphate crystal suspended on a string

We lower the seed into a saturated solution of copper sulphate on a thread

The solution in a transparent container must be placed in a shaded place with a stable temperature, the crystal should be suspended in the same way as in the case of salt, and wait, periodically adding the solution instead of the evaporated one.

42 day experiment

Do not remove the crystal from the working solution until the procedure for its formation is completed!

Safety

Food utensils cannot be used to grow crystals (an exception is experiments with salt and sugar). Food should not be left nearby: firstly, because the reagents are toxic, and secondly, because of litter and crumbs, which, if they enter the solution, will ruin the experiment.

When handling chemical reagents, absolutely all the rules indicated on the packaging should be observed. After completing work, wash your hands.

Growing a crystal at home is quite simple, interesting and informative. First, it is better to practice on the available substances. If something goes wrong, you need to check that all the conditions necessary for the formation of a crystal are met. Having mastered the simplest crystals, you can start working with other reagents. It never gets boring because different substances give crystals different shapes and colorings. In addition, no two crystals are exactly the same, and their configuration and size can be adjusted at will.

Growing crystals at home is a very long, laborious and painstaking process, but it is very exciting and definitely worth the time spent. This experience is very popular with children, and most of the methods below are completely safe. So, consider the main ways to grow crystals at home.

How to grow a crystal from sugar at home

It is best to start your experiments on growing crystals at home with the most interesting and enjoyable ones. The easiest way to grow a crystal is from sugar, and if you do this experiment with children, they will be able to taste the fruits of their creativity at the end of the process.

In order to grow a crystal from sugar, we will need:

• 2 glasses of water;
• 5 glasses of granulated sugar;
• wooden skewers;
• paper;
• small saucepan;
• several clear glasses.

The process of making a crystal begins with the manufacture of sugar syrup. To do this, take 1/4 cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix, bring on fire until syrup is obtained. Dip a wooden skewer into the syrup and sprinkle with a little sugar. The more evenly the skewer is sprinkled, the more ideal and beautiful the crystal will come out. In a similar way, we make the required number of blanks and leave them to dry completely, for example, overnight.

Some time has passed, our skewers have dried out and now we can move on to the next part of the experience. Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan and pour 2.5 cups of sugar. On low heat, stirring constantly, turn our mixture into a sugar syrup. Stirring must be carried out carefully, until the sugar is completely dissolved! Add the remaining 2.5 cups of sugar and also, until completely dissolved, cook the syrup. After that, leave the syrup to cool slightly, this will take approximately 15-20 minutes. This time we continue to prepare blanks from skewers, the basis for our future crystal. We cut paper circles a little larger than the diameter of our glasses and pierce the resulting circles with chopsticks. The main thing is that the paper is firmly fixed on the skewer. The paper will act as the holder and lid for the glass.

Pour the cooled, but still hot syrup into glasses. At this stage, a little food coloring can be added to the syrup, then the crystal will eventually turn out to be colored. We lower our blank (a stick with a circle of paper) into the glass and leave it alone until the crystal ripens. It is important not to touch the walls and bottom! Well, we do the same with all the remaining blanks.

It will take about a week to grow a crystal. This is a very interesting and exciting process that children really like. Every day the crystal grows and takes on its individual shape. Some crystals grow faster, some slower, but the bulk matures in exactly 7 days. The resulting sugar crystal is very good to use with the whole family at a home tea party or just nibble in moments of blues! So, entertaining chemistry is not only interesting, but also tasty;).

How to grow a crystal from salt at home

Growing a crystal from salt at home is a fairly simple process, but it requires patience and care. However, the result of the experiment exceeds all expectations. We will need:

• pure water;
• pot;
• 2 glass jars;
• salt;
• strong thread.

We heat water in a saucepan, we heat it very much, and do not bring it to a boil, the experiment will not work in boiling water. After heating the water, we gradually begin to pour salt into it, stirring constantly until the portion of salt is completely dissolved. Then add more salt, stir until dissolved. And so on until the salt ceases to dissolve. Pour the resulting saturated saline solution into a jar and let it stand well for a day. The next day we will see a lot of small crystals of settled salt in the jar. We choose the most beautiful and largest of them, carefully take it out and tie it to a thread. Carefully pour the solution into an empty jar, making sure that the settled crystals do not fall into a new vessel. Then we lower the crystal on a thread into a filtered saline solution and stock up on patience. After 2-3 days you will notice an increase in the crystal, this growth will continue for some time until the end of growth. After you notice that the crystal has stopped growing, you can either end the experiment if you are satisfied with the result, or prepare another saturated saline solution, as we did above, and lower our crystal there. By the way, if you often change the salt solution, then the growth of the crystal will be faster.

It is very important not to cool the solution on purpose and not to shake it, in this case crystals of an imperfect shape are obtained. Also, do not add any dyes, the crystal will not be colored, and the experiment will be ruined.

How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate at home

Growing crystals from copper sulphate at home is already the next level of complexity, which requires compliance with safety requirements and can only be performed by children under adult supervision.

For the experiment we need:

• water, preferably distilled;
• glass jar;
• copper salt (copper sulfate or copper sulfate, which can be bought at a gardening store).

Before buying, be sure to consider the substance, it should be a bright blue homogeneous powder. In the presence of lumps and green blotches, it is better to refuse the purchase. It will go to summer residents on the farm, but we, novice chemists, will not.

So, the correct vitriol is purchased. Pour about 100 grams of powder into a glass jar and pour a little hot water, stirring constantly. We must get a saturated solution in which the copper salt can no longer dissolve. Filter the solution and put it in the refrigerator. The next day at the bottom we will find many crystals. We select a couple of the largest and most beautiful and place them in a container with a filtered solution. Before that, we act with crystals in the same way as in the previous experiment with table salt, namely, we fix it on a thread and lower it into a jar. We cover the vessel with thin paper and stock up on patience. Growing a crystal from copper sulfate takes several weeks. After the formation of the crystal is completed, it must be carefully removed, rinsed with cold running water and coated with colorless nail polish.

natural rock crystals

• How to grow a crystal from salt
• How to grow a crystal from sugar
• How to grow a copper sulfate crystal
• How to grow a crystal from potassium alum

Mineral crystals are found everywhere in nature. Their education requires special conditions. For example, rock granite consists of crystals of quartz, feldspar and mica, which crystallized one after another as the magma cooled.

Beautiful hexagonal rock crystals grew from hot water solutions saturated with SiO2 silica.

natural sulfur crystals

Rhombic yellow crystals sulfur rose from the hydrogen sulfide waters of hot springs and geysers.

On the shores of salt lakes and seas one can see cubic crystals of rock salt - halite; white, red, yellow and even blue crystals of carnallite and mirabilite.

Diamonds, the hardest crystals, were formed under enormous pressure in the so-called explosion pipes (kimberlite pipes).

So, nature has created and continues to create mineral crystals. Can we see the mystery of crystal growth? Can we grow them ourselves? Yes of course we can. And now I will tell you how to do it at home.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM SALT

grown salt crystals

In order to grow crystals of table (rock) salt (halite - NaCl), you need to put a container of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Then remove the container from the stove and dissolve the usual salt from the pack in it. While constantly stirring the solution, add salt until you notice that it no longer dissolves.

The resulting saline solution must be filtered and poured into a flat dish, for example, in a saucer. The water will cool down and begin to evaporate, and on the edges of the saucer and on its bottom you will see transparent cubes of the correct shape - these are the crystals of rock salt, halite.

You can grow a large crystal, or several large cubic crystals. To do this, put a woolen thread into the container in which you dissolved the salt. When the solution cools, it will be covered with salt cubes. The slower the solution cools, the more regular the crystals will be. After a while, the growth will stop.

To grow one large crystal, you need to choose one, the most correct, from the many crystals formed at the bottom, put it on the bottom of a clean glass, and pour the solution from the previous dish on top.

For the growth of the right crystals, rest is needed. You can not shake or move the table or shelf on which there is a container with growing crystals.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM SUGAR

You can grow sugar crystals just like you can grow salt crystals. Sugar crystals can also be grown on wooden sticks and can be a nice addition to any holiday sweet dish. Food coloring added to the solution will color the sugar in all the colors of the rainbow.

sugar crystals

Below is the complete instruction, how to grow sugar crystals on sticks.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM COPPER sulphate

Copper sulfate is sold in shops for gardeners, from it, and from slaked lime, they prepare "Bordeaux liquid" to protect plants from fungi and various diseases.

In order to grow a crystal of copper sulphate (Cu SO4 * 5H2O) of the correct shape, powdered copper sulphate should be dissolved in water at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. At higher temperatures, the solubility of copper sulfate decreases. Dissolve the powder until the dissolution stops. At the end of a wire or woolen thread we tie a seed - a small crystal of the same copper sulphate. Where to get it? You can look in the same package from which you poured the vitriol into the water, a larger crystal. If this is not found, leave your solution to cool, and after a while you will see small crystals at the bottom.

Choose one and tie (or glue) it to a piece of wire or thread. Filter the solution. Then lower the prepared seed (crystal on a thread) into it. Never immerse the seed in a hot solution! The seed may simply dissolve. A large crystal of copper sulphate grows for several weeks. A crystal grown to the desired size must be varnished, since the moisture contained in the air will eventually melt and destroy it.

Easy to grow beautiful copper crystals. Detailed description process can be found in the detailed article "How to Grow Copper Crystals".

Ferrous sulfate crystals are grown in a similar way, a detailed article on this can be read by clicking on the link in this proposal.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM POTASSIUM ALUMS

grown crystals of potassium alum

Potassium alum (KAI 2*12H2O - mineral alunite) are sold in a pharmacy in powder form. This good remedy, which "dries the skin" and kills pathogens, this substance does not cause allergies and is not toxic. Good crystals can be grown from potassium alum powder. Alum should be dissolved in warm water until saturated and the solution filtered. After a few days of being in a quiet place, at room temperature, small crystals will appear at the bottom of the container.

potassium alum (burnt alum) can be bought at a pharmacy

From these crystals, you need to select a few pieces of the correct shape and place them in another container. Then they are filled with the same solution. You can hang the seeds on thin threads (they can be glued to the thread with strong waterproof glue). Once every two or three days, the crystals must be transferred to a new glass, and the solution should be filtered and again filled with growing crystals. Alum crystals, grown to the right size, should be varnished so that they do not melt from the moisture in the air and lose their shape.

Solutions for growing crystals should preferably be prepared with distilled water.

At home, you can get artificial malachite, using copper sulfate and washing soda, but these will not be beautiful crystals or an openwork patterned stone, but a green or dirty green precipitate at the bottom of the vessel (powder). Beautiful malachite, which practically does not differ from natural, can only be obtained using industrial equipment.

The enterprises also grow crystals of many minerals. But it is impossible to repeat this at home, for this you need special equipment. Most crystals (quartz, amethyst, ruby, emerald, diamonds, malachite, garnets, etc.) are grown in cast iron autoclaves under high pressure. Temperatures reach 500-1000 degrees, and pressure - 3000 atmospheres.

Crystal Grow Kits

crystal growing kit

Now in toy stores, in large cities, kits for growing crystals have appeared on sale. From powders ammonium and potassium dihydrogen phosphate, in which dyes are added, interesting prismatic and needle-shaped crystals can be grown. In order for the crystals to turn out to be large enough and beautiful, you must strictly follow the attached instructions.

Strange, but the instructions that are in the box shown in the photo do not indicate which one Chemical substance used to grow crystals and what kind of dye is used. Other than that, it's pretty detailed.

Many interesting processes take place in nature. One of them is the creation of rock crystals. But this wonderful process, shrouded in mystery, can be reproduced at home, observing how beautiful minerals gradually grow from substances familiar to us.

The safest ingredient is sugar. It’s worth starting with it, especially since such crystals are not only beautiful, but also edible. You need to take:

• 2 glasses of water;
• 3 cups more sugar
• sticks;
• paper or clothespins;
• capacity;
• glasses;
• food coloring.

Syrup is boiled from 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then sticks are dipped into it and rolled in a small amount of sugar poured on a napkin. When they are completely dry, take a container, pour 2 cups of water into it and pour half the amount of sugar. We reduce the fire to a minimum, place the container on the stove, and stirring, wait for the dissolution of all the sugar. Add the rest of the sand and dissolve it. Turn off the burner and let the solution stand for about 20 minutes. Pour hot syrup into glasses and add food coloring to each. We put holders on the sticks. When we dip these sticks into the hot syrup, the limiter will prevent contact with the walls and bottom of the dish. In about 7 days, a miracle will happen.

Another available ingredient is NaCl - edible salt. Getting Started:

• Pour warm water into a glass - 200 ml.
• Add salt in portions, stirring all the time. We do this until the salt crystals cease to dissolve. It will take approximately 70 g. It is important that the salt is clean, otherwise the experiment may end in a negative result.
• We take a container with water, put on fire. We place a glass there, and let it stay there until the solution in it is heated. Do not forget to put a rag or some kind of stand on the bottom of the container, otherwise the glass will crack.
• We prepare a simple device, consisting of a pencil with a thread tied to it, at the end of which the largest crystal of salt is fixed. If instead of a crystal we tie a pebble or a figurine made of copper wire, then at the end we will get a very beautiful sample.
• We take out the glass, pass the solution through filter paper. We lay the device on the edges of the glass. A thread with a crystal will sink into a saturated solution. Set aside a dark place for dishes.
• We observe how the crystal grows. When you decide that it has grown enough, take it out and dry it, varnish it. Handle it with care - it is very fragile.

Very beautiful blue crystals grow from blue vitriol. This material is not as safe as sugar or salt, so wear gloves. The technology is almost the same:

• We take a glass jar and pour water - 300 ml.
• We gradually introduce copper sulfate until the solution is supersaturated.
• We put a pot of water on the stove, put a jar in it and heat it.
• We hang a bead or a button on a thread. Tie to a wooden stick.
• We take out the jar, let the solution cool.
• We place a stick with a thread across the hole in the jar. We make sure that the load does not touch the bottom and walls of the vessel.
• We wait until the crystal grows, then we take it out.
• We apply the coating using colorless nail polish.

Good crystals grow from potassium alum (alunite). Buy them at the pharmacy. Then:

• dissolved in hot water;
• filter;
• put in a quiet place, temperature - room temperature;
• crystals appear after a few days at the bottom of the dish;
• choose the best ones, transfer them to another dish and fill them with an old filtered solution;
• repeat this operation in 2-3 days until minerals of the desired size are obtained;
• taken out, blotted with a napkin and varnished.

In stores that sell toys, sometimes there are kits with materials for growing crystals. They contain aluminum and potassium sulfates, as well as ammonium phosphate and dyes.

To sum it up: growing crystals is a creative, exciting process. If you do this with a child, then who knows, maybe a famous explorer will grow out of him?

Crystal… From this word it really blows with magic. I don’t know about the magical properties of crystals, but they definitely have a variety of useful physical properties. Crystals are widely used in modern electronics, optics, and other fields of technology. And, of course, the crystals are simply beautiful. They attract the eye with their regular shape and natural symmetry. And this applies not only to precious crystals, but also to crystals grown from improvised means.

We already know something about the crystalline state of matter from the article on. It's time to move on to practical exercises 🙂

The crystal growth experiment has a number of features. One of these features is the duration of the experiment. The thing is that a good and beautiful, and, most importantly, a large crystal cannot be grown quickly. This takes time. That is why the experience of growing crystals for nine days developed in the rubric, where you could observe the progress of the process and, perhaps, even conduct your own experiment in parallel. This article is a summary of the information obtained during the experience. So, instructions for those who want to grow a crystal themselves.

For this we need:

• The container in which the crystal will grow. It is best if the container is transparent, such as a glass jar. In this case, it will be convenient to monitor the progress of the process.
• A small piece of cardboard to cut out the container lid
• Funnel
• Filter paper or any material with which it will be possible to filter the solution. You can use a napkin.
• Thread. It is better to take a thinner and smoother thread, for example, silk.
• And, of course, the substance from which we will grow the crystal. Copper sulphate is used in the experiment. The crystal from it should turn out to be a beautiful blue color. In addition, getting blue vitriol is quite simple - it is usually sold in any gardening store. If you could not find blue vitriol or are just too lazy to go to the store, then you can use any crystalline substance, for example, ordinary table salt or sugar.

Before starting the experiment, I must warn you, in case you want to repeat it, about personal safety measures. You will be working with chemicals that can harm you. Do not use food containers for your experience, use protective equipment(gloves, goggles), wash your laboratory glassware thoroughly. If chemicals come into contact with skin or eyes, rinse thoroughly with water. If swallowed, seek medical attention.

Well, with the formalities over, let's get started.

Day 1.

As I said, growing crystals is a procedure that has some peculiarities. Another feature of this experiment, in addition to the duration, is the need to grow the so-called seed, i.e. a small crystal, on the basis of which a large crystal will grow. You can do without a seed, but in this case it is difficult to grow a beautiful single crystal. Therefore, it is better to grow a seed after all, especially since there is nothing complicated in this.

Prepare a saturated solution.

Let's pour a little copper sulphate into a glass container (hereinafter I will talk about copper sulphate, since it is he who is involved in the experiment, but you use the substance that you managed to find).

Pour salt (and copper sulfate is sulfur-copper salt) with a small amount of hot water. The use of hot water is mandatory, because. at elevated temperatures, the solubility of salts increases.

It is better to place the container in a water bath so that the solution does not cool prematurely.

Stir the salt until dissolved, and then add more salt and stir again. We repeat this until the salt ceases to dissolve in water.

Thus, we have obtained a saturated salt solution.

Now the resulting solution must be filtered. This must be done so that no foreign particles, such as dust or impurities, remain in the solution. Foreign particles can serve additional centers crystallization, i.e. other crystals will begin to form around them, but we do not need this. At this stage of the experiment, this is not very critical, but later the purity of the solution will be very important.

After filtering, you need to throw a few salt crystals into the solution - seeds will begin to form on them.

Now the container needs to be placed in a place where more or less constant energy will be provided. temperature regime(the window sill is great for this), and cover it with something to prevent foreign matter from entering.

The solution will begin to cool and supersaturate, i.e. salt will begin to become more in solution than it can dissolve at a given temperature. The salt will begin to crystallize, and the grains of salt that we added to the saturated solution will become the centers of crystallization. You will have to wait 2-3 days. After that, we proceed to the next stage of the experiment.

Day 2

It can be seen that crystals began to form at the bottom of the vessel.

Day 3

The crystals have grown. In principle, they are large enough to be used as a seed, but I will try to keep them for another day.

Day 4

Well, enough time has passed, and we have formed a good seed material. It remains to choose the right candidate.

Pretty pretty already, isn't it? But we will not stop there and will continue our experiment.

It seems that the resulting mass of crystals is a monolith, but in fact it is not difficult to separate the crystals.

Try to choose a crystal of the most correct shape. I chose far from the largest available, but I liked its shape the most. The more correct the shape of the seed, the more correct the shape of the crystal will be in the future. To make the dimensions of the seed more clear, I put a match next to it.

Now you need to tie a thread to the seed. As I wrote at the beginning of the article, it is better to take a less fuzzy thread so that side crystals do not form on its protruding fibers. Do not use wire as a hanger.

Now the thread with the seed must be passed through the lid of the container and fixed on the reverse side. You need to fix it so that at any time it is possible to adjust the height of the suspension. For example, you can wind the excess thread on the match from the back or secure the thread with a paper clip.

Now we need to prepare a fresh salt solution. It is done in the same way as for the seed: dissolving salt in hot water until it stops dissolving, filtering the solution. In this fresh solution we place our seed. Make sure that the seed does not touch the bottom and walls of the container, otherwise the crystal will begin to grow in an irregular shape.

And now we have two ways. The first one is more complex. It requires more attention and effort. The fact is that the most beautiful and regular crystals are obtained when the crystallization process is slow. Therefore, we need to ensure smooth cooling of the salt solution. To do this, we need to place our seed container in thermo-vessels, constantly control the temperature of the solution. In simple terms, there is quite a lot of fuss. But the reward for such efforts is worthwhile - the crystal will turn out to be as clean and regular as possible.

The second way is much easier. You have placed the seed in a hot solution and you can forget about it for a while, leaving the crystallization process to chance. With this method, the growing crystal may not be an ideal shape, but the growth process will be faster.

I chose the second way. In the end, after going down the easier path and gaining some experience, I can always do a more complex version of the experiment. In addition, you need to keep in mind that the quick version of the experience does not mean at all that it can be done in a couple of hours. Even with an accelerated experience, the crystal will grow for several days. In the case of a long-term option, the experiment can stretch for 1-2 months.

But in both cases it is necessary to monitor the growth of the crystal. Once again, you don’t need to take out the crystal and touch it - this may affect its shape. If side crystals begin to form on a crystal or thread, they must be carefully removed so that they also do not spoil the shape of the main crystal.

And one moment. If you lowered the seed into the solution, but it did not increase, but quite the opposite, it dissolves, then this means that you have prepared an unsaturated solution. The procedure for preparing the solution will have to be repeated.

So we continue to monitor the growth of the crystal. If you have any questions, you can contact me in the comments or through the form.

Day 5

During the day, the crystal grew significantly. In the photo, the crystal is compared with a match and a crystal - an understudy of the seed, which I left yesterday just in case.

However, as you can see, the shape of the crystal is not ideal, there are many defects. This is the result of the rapid growth of the crystal. But I still like it 🙂

I updated the solution as I did before, and lowered the crystal back into it. Since the crystal size increased significantly compared to the previous day, an adjustment in the height of the seed suspension was required. The experiment continues.

Day 6

Crystal has grown. Again updated the copper sulphate solution.

Day 7

The crystal barely fits into my glass! Do not forget to clean the thread from growing small crystals.

Day 8

Day 9

Well, here comes, I think, the last day of the experiment. The latter is not because the crystal will not be able to grow further, but because it has become too crowded in my laboratory glassware. We take out the crystal, cut the thread to the very root and blot it with napkins. We are one step away from admiring our work of art. The fact is that if you leave the crystal as it is, it will collapse pretty soon. To prevent this from happening, it must be "dressed" in a protective shell. The best option is to cover it with clear varnish. You can also place it in a hermetically sealed container, for example, in a jar. But it seems to me that the best option is to cover it with varnish. This will give it additional brilliance, and it will be possible to observe it, as they say, live, and not through glass.

And now you can take a good look at the crystal. Of course, his form was not perfect. But I deliberately chose the fast way of crystal growth instead of the qualitative one. In any case, I was pleased with the result. In nine days, the crystal grew more than seven centimeters in length - a pretty good result!

I even wanted to give it a name. Names are given to large and unique gemstones. For example, how the famous diamond was given the name "Count Orlov". My crystal, of course, is far from a diamond, but it is dear to me in its own way 🙂 Therefore, not without a share of humor, I decided to call the resulting seven-centimeter pebble the Kid.

Good luck with your experiments!

Much has become possible for modern man: nanotechnology, artificial insemination, the study of distant galaxies. What can we say about the cultivation of minerals at home. Yes, yes, each of us today can grow a real crystal in our kitchen without laboratory equipment and scientific knowledge. All that is required is ingenuity, patience and a few improvised materials.

Crystals, regardless of whether they are natural or artificial, amaze with their beauty, versatility and unusualness. That is why interest in home growing crystals is increasing. They are grown in the most unusual shapes and colors, using simple ingredients such as salt, soda, citric acid, dyes, etc.

You can grow the most beautiful and unique crystal for yourself using different methods, choosing the one that you like best. There are even special kits on sale for fans of home experiments, with which you can get crystals of simply incredible shapes.

Here are some photos of finished crystals that amateur chemists post online:

Video how to grow radiant crystals

To understand the essence and get the most fantastic crystal, you should watch a detailed video tutorial, and only then proceed to the unusual process of growing crystals.

Instructions on how to grow crystals

Growing homemade crystals is a simple and exciting process if you study the rules of the experiment in advance and prepare the necessary materials. The only negative is that the crystal grows for a rather long time, on average it takes at least a month.

The formation of a crystal lattice, its growth rate, color, density - all this depends on the quality of the prepared solution, the selected dishes, humidity external environment. These details must be taken seriously. But the first thing to start with is the selection of inventory.

For cultivation beautiful crystal necessary:

• Crystal container. This is a kind of incubator that must comply with the rules: it must not oxidize, give off color, and deplete the smell. The best option is glass or enamelware. We exclude metal, clay, plastic dishes immediately. As for the size, there are no restrictions: it is important what size you need a crystal.
• Stick for stirring the solution. Here again, the emphasis is on the material - we choose wood or glass.
• Paper. During the growing process, you will need good quality white tissue paper or filter paper.
• The main component for the solution. It can be salt, sugar, soda or something else. This product is selected in accordance with the selected recipe.

Although solutions of different substances are used to grow crystals, the essence of the process itself is almost identical in all recipes.

The basic growing algorithm is as follows:

• Salt or other ingredient is dissolved in hot water until a concentrated solution is obtained.
• The seed base for the crystal (this may be a large piece of salt) is washed in water and immersed in the prepared solution.
• The container with the solution is tightly closed. Remove the lid after about 24 hours. Somewhere in the 3-4 week, a large crystal will already be noticeable.
• As soon as the top of the crystal emerges on the surface of the solution, the liquid is drained, and the crystal is carefully removed from the container.
• Then the crystal is dried and kept in a place protected from water and its beauty is admired.

How to grow a crystal from vitriol at home, step by step instructions

If you don’t surprise anyone with a colorless crystal, then a bright blue crystal will definitely become a real surprise. To create such beauty, a special ingredient is used - copper sulfate. It gives a brighter and more natural shade of blue than food coloring.

This substance is sold in stores with goods for the garden and garden. It is a chemical substance, so it is not suitable for creativity with children.

If you follow the following instructions, in a couple of weeks you will grow a gorgeous dark blue crystal:

• Pour distilled water into a glass container.
• Dissolve copper sulfate powder in it until the granules no longer dissolve in water.

• Dip a simple thread into the solution, fixing one edge above the container. Wait a few hours for small crystals to form on the thread.
• Choose the one you like best and leave it on the thread, and disconnect the rest and set aside.

• Lower the thread with the crystal again into the solution, fixing the structure so that it does not touch the bottom of the container. Give the crystal a few weeks and it will grow blue.
• After removing the crystal from the water, dry it and cover it with a colorless varnish to ensure its safety.

How to grow a crystal from salt quickly

Crystals grow well from salt, but most recipes call for plain table salt. It is certainly suitable, but if you are not very patient or you need a crystal as soon as possible, we advise you to use sea salt. It will not only accelerate the rate of formation of a crystal array, but also make it much stronger. But, no matter what kind of salt you take, appearance crystal will remain unchanged - it will be large, white, slightly transparent and, of course, will resemble salt of a bizarre shape.

Let's start growing a salt crystal:

• Take boiled spring or filtered water, pour into a glass jar.
• Stir a lot of sea salt in it, and when its crystals refuse to dissolve, strain the solution through gauze.

• Pour the solution back into the jar, select a large salt crystal, tie a thread to it and lower it into the solution. Then cool the solution quickly (this will accelerate the formation of small crystals on the base).

• Wait a week to a month depending on the size of the crystal you need.
• Wipe it dry with a napkin, if desired, treat it.

How to grow a crystal from sugar

Sugar crystals are not just a masterpiece of homemade art, but also an unusual delicacy. Just imagine that you will become the creator of edible crystals! Just remember to use the highest quality products.

So, let's begin:

• Prepare simple sugar, you can use food coloring if you wish, you will also need wooden sticks, water and a few napkins.

• Take 2 tbsp. water and 5 tbsp. sugar, but we will not use them immediately. In a saucepan, heat ¼ tbsp. water and 2 tbsp. l. sugar - you will get a sweet syrup.
• Pour a handful of sugar on a clean napkin and roll the sticks soaked in syrup in it. Make sure that the sugar sticks tightly around the entire stick, otherwise the crystal will be asymmetrical.

• Let the prepared sticks dry well so that the sugar does not crumble.
• While the blanks are drying, take a pan, send 2.5 tbsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. water, boil the syrup. When all the sugar has dissolved, pour out the rest of the sugar and boil the syrup for 15 minutes.
• Take several sheets of paper in the form of a square. Pierce them with chopsticks in the middle.

• Then quickly pour the syrup into glasses, drop a few drops of multi-colored food coloring into each of them and immediately dip the sticks into them. The workpiece should not reach the bottom or touch the walls of the glass.
• Thanks to the sheet, the stick will be securely fixed, in addition, the paper will be a shield that protects the syrup from the penetration of the saw and moisture.

Your crystals will grow in 7-14 days and will be quite edible even for kids. True, provided that natural dyes were used.

How to grow a crystal from citric acid

To grow a crystal, you will need about 180g of citric acid for every 100g of water. Immediately make a reservation that the process is more complicated than in the case of using salt or sugar.

Growing process:

• In water (100 ml) at a temperature of 20⁰С, dissolve citric acid (130 g). During operation, the container with the solution will need to be slightly heated so that the temperature is stably kept at 20⁰С. To do this, you can use another container with hot water, in which you can immerse a glass of citric acid. It is advisable to control the process with a thermometer.
• Then, within a week, you need to add citric acid, until the moment when it stops dissolving. For this, the remaining 50 g of citric acid is enough for you. The solution will become like thick jelly, and small crystals will appear at the bottom.
• At this stage, strain the solution. Wrap one crystal with a fishing line and immerse it in a seed solution.
• After 7-10 days, the crystal will reach 10-12 cm in diameter. You can pull it out, dry it and varnish it, or continue growing it.

A citric acid crystal is very sensitive to temperature changes and can crack, so it needs to be grown in stable climatic conditions.

How to grow a colored crystal

If the cultivation of crystals from food has already been successfully mastered, you can aim at a homemade ruby. Of course, it will not be real, but no less attractive and bright. The chemical substance Potassium hexacyanoferrate (III), which is popularly called red blood salt, will help to get such a pebble. You can buy a substance without problems in an online store or a store with goods for the chemical industry. The crystal grows for about three weeks. At your discretion, you can grow a single crystal or a garden of many small crystals.

The process of growing domestic rubies:

• Boil 175 ml of water, dissolve 100 g of red blood salt in it. The water temperature should not be lower than 90⁰С.

• Now, if you need a single crystal, take a small crystal of ordinary salt, wrap a fishing line around it, use a wooden stick or pencil to fix the fishing line with the crystal on the glass so that it is immersed in the solution.
• If you want to grow a crystal garden, take a smooth stone, granite is better, lower it to the bottom of the container with the solution.
• Every day the crystal will increase. After three weeks, the crystal will begin to "peep" out of the water. At this point, it must be removed from the container, dried and covered with nail polish.
• It is important to remember that red crystals are very fragile, so you need to work with them as carefully as possible.

How to grow a beautiful crystal

It is possible to quickly grow a crystal of a beautiful regular shape from aluminum alum. If you do not know what it is, we will clarify: this is a drug (double salts) to stop external bleeding and stop the inflammatory process. It is sold in a pharmacy and costs a couple of rubles.

The process is pretty simple:

• To get started, buy the necessary drug at the pharmacy. It looks like this:

• Boil 0.5 l of water, dissolve in it 6 tbsp. l. alum.
• Now it remains only to wait. The main thing is that until the crystals grow, do not disturb them: do not stir the solution, do not shake the container.
• After a week, the crystals will noticeably grow:

• Now select the seed crystal, make a hole in it, fix the thread, the other end of which is tied to the stick.

• Dip the host crystal into the solution and wait 1-2 weeks. Its shape in the form of an octahedron will remain the same, but the size of the crystal will increase significantly.
• You will get such an exclusive pendant:

How to grow a crystal in two days

It is impossible to grow the right crystal with beautiful edges from improvised substances in 1-2 days. At best, you will get a lot of small crystals spliced ​​into one bizarre figure. But you can easily solve such a dilemma - buy a ready-made kit for growing crystals in two days. You can find it in any art store. The process is clear and accessible even for children. How to grow a radiant crystal in 48 hours will tell the video:

How to grow a crystal on a thread

To grow crystals on a thread, you need soda. Before starting the process, make sure all work surfaces are clean, as even the smallest speck can spoil all your efforts. To work, you will need two glass glasses, a pack of soda, woolen thread, boiling water.

Soda crystals on a string - growing:

• Half fill the prepared glasses with boiling water. Send 6 tsp to each of them. soda.
• When the soda dissolves, add another 3 tsp. powder and so on until it ceases to dissolve.
• Take a thread 35 cm long, fasten a paperclip at its ends. Put the glasses with soda solution in one row, placing a saucer between them, immerse the ends of the thread in the glasses.

How to grow a crystal in an hour

How to grow a crystal from potassium permanganate

Diamond-shaped crystals of a beautiful dark purple hue grow from potassium permanganate. The growing process is the same as in the case of using salt or sugar. But the crystals are much more interesting.

How to grow:

• Take 100 ml of water. Its temperature should not be lower than 20⁰С.
• Dissolve 6-7 g of potassium permanganate in this amount.
• When the solution becomes homogeneous, dip a salt crystal fixed on a fishing line into it.
• Now, as usual, wait a few weeks watching the purple crystal grow.



How to grow a green crystal

Knowing the basics of chemistry, it is easy to grow a homemade crystal of an exclusive green color. Of course, the easiest way is to buy a special set in the store, but we suggest going the other way and conducting a real experiment.

Growing:

• In the Garden and City store, buy Ammophos fertilizer based on ammonium dihydrogen phosphate. This substance will be the seed for growing a large crystal.
• Take a small ball of styrofoam, wrap it with woolen thread like a ball.



• Sprinkle the ball with Ammophos powder so that large crystals grow. Drop the ball into the empty glass.



• Send 40 g of Ammophos and 10 g of green food coloring to another glass, pour 50 g of boiling water, mix everything and pour into a glass with a ball.
• It is important to pour liquid along the edge of the container so as not to wash off the Ammophos solution from our ball. You need to fill the glass by ¾ because the ball will float to the surface (this is an important condition).
• Now make a cylinder from an A4 paper sheet, put it on a glass, cover the structure with a napkin on top.
• Already on the fifth day you will grow an excellent crystal.



Growing crystals at home will be something special for each of you. Someone will get carried away with an unusual hobby, collecting their collection of crystals, someone will have fun with children, and someone will improve their knowledge of chemistry. But, in any case, you will have an informative time. Successful experiments!

Do you want to surprise your child and involve him in the world of science? Do a crystal growing experiment at home. These are solid bodies with a symmetrical structure. They are used for decor, games, and sweet ones are even eaten. We invite you to find out how and from what you can grow a crystal.

Learn how to grow a crystal at home.

How to grow a crystal from sugar

Sugar crystals are grown for one week. They are added to tea, served as a sweet snack and decorated with desserts. Prepare the crystals on a wooden stick.

You will need:

• sugar - 5 glasses;
• water - 2 glasses;
• wooden sticks;
• paper;
• glasses or jars.

If you want the crystals to be colored, use food coloring.

From 50 ml of water and 2 tbsp. l. boil sugar syrup. Sprinkle sugar on a flat surface. Dip wooden sticks in syrup and then roll in sugar. Leave overnight to dry.

Boil the rest of the water and gradually add the sugar. Stir until completely dissolved. Boil the syrup and leave on the stove for 10-15 minutes. Make holes in the paper. Pour hot syrup into clear glasses or jars. Stick the sticks into the paper and immerse in the solution so that it covers the glass and holds the blanks. After 7 days the crystals will grow.

How to grow a crystal at home from table salt

Use edible salt for growing. The time of the chemical process is 1–1.5 weeks.

You will need:

• water - 500 ml;
• salt - 4-5 tbsp. l.;
• glasses - 2 pcs;
• rope;
• filter;
• holder.

As a holder, use a pencil, clothespins or cardboard.

Pour salt into hot water and stir. Filter undissolved crystals through gauze. Select a large crystal of salt (seed). Tie it with the edge of a rope or fishing line and place it in a saline solution. Attach the second end of the thread to the holder. Make sure that the seed does not touch the bottom and walls of the glass. Leave the solution in a warm place.

This recipe is suitable for growing copper sulfate crystals. The substance is sold in stores for summer residents. Pour vitriol with water up to 80 degrees, otherwise it will not dissolve. You will find the blank in a bag with the substance. Or cook it yourself. Leave the solution to cool, and after 30-60 minutes formations will appear at the bottom. Also tie the seed with a thread and lower it into the solution for 1-2 weeks.