Crystals

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

Crystal video

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

Borax Crystals time-lapse video

Ratio; 3 Tablespoons Borax per 1/2 cup water

Materials

1)Borax 

2)Water 

3)String 

4)Plastic Cup 

5)pipe cleaners 

6)peg

Process

Step 1: Add Borax into the plastic cup

Step 2: Add hot water into the plastic cup

Step 3: Stir the water with the borax 

Step 4: Create a star with the pipe cleaners 

Step 5: Attach the star to a peg 

Step 6: Place the peg and the star in the cup 

Sugar Crystals

Sugar crystals video

Ratio: 1 cup sugar to 1/2 cup water

Materials

1)Sugar 

2)Water

3)String 

4)Plastic Cup 

5)Popsicle stick 

Process

Step 1: Add sugar into the plastic cup 

Step 2: Add hot water into the plastic cup with the sugar 

Step 3: Stir the water in the Cup 

Step 4: Cut a small piece of string 

Step 5: Wrap the string around the popsicle stick 

Step 6: put the string in the cup of liquid 

Salt Crystals

Salt crystals time-lapse video

Ratio: 4 Tablespoons salt to 1/2 cup water

Materials

1)Salt 

2)Water

3)String

4)Plastic cup 

5)popsicle stick 

Process

Step 1: Add salt into the plastic cup 

Step 2: Add hot water into the cup with the salt in 

Step 3: Stir The water and salt 

Step 4: Wrap the string around the popsicle 

Step 5: put the string in the cup of liquid 

Step 6:

Findings

Describe your crystals in the table below.

Crystal Type	Shape (Describe the shape)	Size (of individual crystals)	Hardness (Crumbly to Rock Hard)
Borax	Crystal	Big	Hard
Sugar	Cube	Small	Crumbly
Salt	Cube	Medium	Hard

After watching the videos as a class, explain how the following crystals are formed:

Type	Explanation
Salt	Salt is created by the Evaporation of salty water (sea water) which contains dissolved Na+ and Cl- ions. One finds rock salt deposits ringing dry lake beds, inland marginal seas, and enclosed bays and estuaries in arid regions of the world.
Sugar	Refined sugar is made from raw sugar that has undergone a refining process to remove the molasses. Raw sugar is sucrose which is extracted from sugarcane or sugar beet. ... The sugar syrup is concentrated by boiling and then cooled and seeded with sugar crystals, causing the sugar to crystallize out.
Snowflakes	A snowflake begins to form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto dust particle in the sky. This creates an ice crystal. As the ice crystal falls to the ground, water vapor freezes onto the crystal, building new crystals the six arms of the snowflake.