Crystals

Aim: To learn about a saturated solution and how to make crystals

Definition of "solution": 

A liquid mixture, when something is dissolved into a liquid (eg: sugar in water) 

Definition of saturated: 

Having or holding as much as can be absorbed of something (when no more sugar or borax can be dissolved into the water)

In groups of three, you will make three different types of crystals and compare the results.

Borax Crystals

Materials

1) 8 tsp of borax

2) Container

3) Spoon

4) 1/2 cup of Hot Water

5) 3 Pipe cleaners

6) Pegs

Process

Step 1: 

On a cup pour in 8 tsp of borax.

Step 2:

Pour in up to 1/2 cup of hot water/ warm will be fine too.

Step 3:

Grab your spoon and slowly incorporate the borax with the hot/warm water.

Step 4:

When Incorporated, take the spoon out and after grab your peg and 3 pipe cleaners.

Step 5:

Arrange the pipe cleaners to a shape of an asterisk and twist them in the middle to bind them tightly.

Step 6:

Take one of the "legs"(pipe cleaners) and use your peg to clip it in place, hang the peg downwards so that the pipe cleaners are hanging in the water.

Sugar Crystals

Materials

1) Pipe cleaner 

2) 8tsp Sugar

3) Peg

4) Container

5)  1/2 cup of Hot/Warm Water

6) Spoon

Process

Step 1:

Like the Borax version, on a cup pour in  8 tsp of salt.

Step 2:

Pour in up to 1/2 cup of hot water/ warm will be fine too.

Step 3:

Grab your spoon and slowly incorporate the borax with the hot/warm water.

Step 4:

When Incorporated, take the spoon out and after grab your peg and a pipe cleaner.

Step 5: Clip your pipe cleaner to the peg.

Step 6:

Take one of the "legs"(pipe cleaners) and use your peg to clip it in place, hang the peg downwards so that the pipe cleaners are hanging in the water.

Salt Crystals

Materials

1) Pipe cleaner 

2) 8 tsp Salt

3) Peg

4) Container

5) 1/2 cup of Hot/Warm Water

6) Spoon

Process

Step 1:

Like the sugar version, on a cup pour in  8 tsp of salt.

Step 2:

Pour in up to 1/2 cup of hot water/ warm will be fine too.

Step 3:

Grab your spoon and slowly incorporate the borax with the hot/warm water.

Step 4:

When Incorporated, take the spoon out and after grab your peg and a pipe cleaner.

Step 5: Clip your pipe cleaner to the peg.

Step 6:

Take one of the "legs"(pipe cleaners) and use your peg to clip it in place, hang the peg downwards so that the pipe cleaners are hanging in the water.

Findings

Describe your crystals in the table below.

Crystal Type	Shape (Describe the shape)	Size (of individual crystals)	Hardness (Crumbly to Rock Hard)
Borax	Cubic	1 to 2 mm in diameter	Hard
Sugar	None(Normally Cubic)	No Crystals	No crystals
Salt	Cubic	0.5 to 1 mm in diameter	Crumbly

What crystals worked out best and why?

The saturated sugar mixture has worked out poorly, there was not any trace of crystallization in the cup or around the pipe cleaner that we've used. The most probable reason that we can think of why it hasn't worked is that our mixture has not been saturated enough. We concluded that because our mixture was still very much liquid and not almost as thick as syroup.

However, the salt and borax mixture worked out like magic. They were the best results that we've had in this experiment. Though there were more crystals in the borax mixture; the container in which we had the salt mixture had more crystals in and around the inside of it. it was quite thin but  at the least it was very much visible when looked upon closely.

The experiment was very much a success except for the sugar mixture that we did, which we figured was not as saturated as the salt and borax mixture.

Borax:

Salt:

Suagar: