How to grow a crystal from table salt. Growing crystals at home: from salt, from sugar, from vitriol. Instructions on how to grow crystals

Growing crystals. What you need to know!

Growing Crystals- The process is very interesting, but it can be quite lengthy. It is useful to know what processes control its growth; Why do different substances form crystals? various shapes, and some do not form them at all; what needs to be done to make them big and beautiful.
If crystallization proceeds very slowly, you get one large crystal (or a single crystal, for example, when growing artificial stones), if quickly, you get many small ones (or a polycrystal, for example, metals).

Growing crystals at home produce different ways. For example, cooling a saturated solution. As the temperature decreases (mainly for anhydrous salts), they are said to precipitate. First, tiny crystal nuclei appear in the solution and on the walls of the vessel. When cooling is slow and there are no solid impurities in the solution (say, dust), few nuclei are formed, and they gradually turn into beautiful crystals of regular shape. With rapid cooling, many small crystals appear, almost none of them have the correct shape, because there are many of them growing and they interfere with each other.

Sugar crystal

Growing Crystals can be done in another way - by gradually removing water from a saturated solution. And in this case, the slower the water is removed, the better the result. Leave the container with the solution open at room temperature for long term, covering it with a sheet of paper - the water will evaporate slowly, and dust will not get into the solution. The growing crystal can either be suspended in a saturated solution on a thin strong thread, or placed at the bottom of the vessel. In the latter case, the crystal must be periodically turned to the other side. As the water evaporates, fresh solution should be added to the vessel. Even if our original crystal had irregular shape, sooner or later it will correct all its defects on its own and take on the shape characteristic of this substance, for example, it will turn into an octahedron if you use chromium-potassium alum salt, or a rhombus if you use copper sulfate.

Crystals
potassium-aluminum alum

Growing Crystals- the process is entertaining, but requires a careful and careful attitude to your work. Theoretically, the size of the crystal that can be grown at home in this way is unlimited. There are cases when enthusiasts received crystals of such size that they could only be lifted with the help of their comrades.

But, there are some features of their storage (of course, each salt and substance has its own characteristics). For example, if a crystal of alum is left open in dry air, it will gradually lose the water it contains and turn into an inconspicuous gray powder. To protect it from destruction, you can coat it with colorless varnish. Copper sulfate and table salt are more stable and you can safely work with them.

How to grow a crystal

Potassium iodide crystal
(KI)

Grow a crystal can be made from different substances: for example, from sugar, even stone - artificial cultivation of stones, subject to strict rules on temperature, pressure, humidity and other factors (artificial rubies, amethysts, quartz, citrines, morions).
At home, of course, we won’t be able to do all this, so we’ll do it differently. We will grow salt crystals. We all have regular table salt at home (as you probably know, it’s chemical name sodium chloride NaCl). Any other salt is also suitable (salt - from a chemical point of view), for example, you can get beautiful blue crystals from copper sulfate or any other sulfate (for example, iron sulfate). You can use alum (double metal salts of sulfuric acid), sodium thiosulfate (formerly used for making photographs). For all these salts (and for salt in general) no special conditions are required: they made a solution, dropped an “embryo” into it (all this is described in detail below) and it grows, increasing in height every day.
Yes, you should not paint the solution where your crystal grows, for example with paints or something similar - this will only spoil the solution itself, but it will not color the crystal! The best way to get colored crystals is to choose the right color of salt! But be careful: for example, crystals of yellow blood salt have a red-orange color - and the solution turns out yellow.
Now we can get started!

Growing Crystals table salt

Table salt crystals
(NaCl)

Table salt crystals- the growing process does not require any special chemicals. We all have table salt (or table salt) that we take into our food. It can also be called stone - everything is the same. Table salt crystals NaCl They are colorless transparent cubes. Let's begin. Dilute the table salt solution as follows: pour water into a container (for example a glass) and place it in a saucepan with warm water(no more than 50°C - 60°C). Of course, ideally, if the water does not contain dissolved salts (i.e., distilled), but in our case, you can use tap water. Fill table salt into a glass and leave for 5 minutes, stirring first. During this time, the glass of water will heat up and the salt will dissolve. It is advisable that the water temperature does not drop yet. Then add more salt and stir again. Repeat this step until the salt no longer dissolves and settles to the bottom of the glass. We have a saturated salt solution. Pour it into a clean container of the same volume, getting rid of excess salt at the bottom. Choose any larger crystal of table salt you like and place it at the bottom of a glass with a saturated solution. You can tie the crystal by a thread and hang it so that it does not touch the walls of the glass. Now we need to wait. After just a couple of days, you can notice significant growth for the crystal. Every day it will increase. And if you do the same thing again (prepare a saturated salt solution and drop this crystal into it), then it will grow much faster (remove the crystal and use the already prepared solution, adding water and the required portion of table salt to it). Remember that the solution must be saturated, that is, when preparing the solution, salt should always remain at the bottom of the glass (just in case). For information: approximately 35 g of table salt can dissolve in 100 g of water at a temperature of 20°C. With increasing temperature, the solubility of salt increases.
This is how table salt crystals are grown (or salt crystals, the shape and color of which you prefer)

Growing copper sulfate crystals

Copper sulfate crystals- are grown in the same way as with table salt: first, a saturated salt solution is prepared, then the small crystal of copper sulfate salt you like is dropped into this solution.
Attention! Copper sulfate is a chemically active salt! Therefore, for the experiment to be successful in this case, you need to take distilled water, i.e. containing no other salts dissolved in it. It is also better not to take tap water, since it firstly contains dissolved salts, and secondly it can be highly chlorinated. Impurities (especially hard carbonates) enter into chemical reactions with copper sulfate, which causes the solution to deteriorate greatly
If everything is in order, we will continue. If you decide not to pour the solution from the container in which the small crystal originally grew, then hang the crystal so that it does not touch other crystals remaining at the bottom!

Crystals are grown not only from solutions, but also from molten salts. A striking example yellow opaque sulfur crystals shaped like a rhombus or elongated prisms can serve. But I especially don’t recommend working with sulfur. The gas produced during its evaporation is harmful to health.
The growth of individual crystal faces can be avoided. To do this, these edges must be applied with a solution of Vaseline or fat.

Copper crystals (Cu)

Liquid crystals- These are substances that behave both as liquids and as solids. Molecules in liquid crystals, on the one hand, are quite mobile, on the other hand, they are arranged regularly, forming something like a crystalline structure (one-dimensional or two-dimensional). Often already with slight heating correct location molecules are disrupted, and the liquid crystal becomes an ordinary liquid. On the contrary, with enough low temperatures they freeze into solids. The regular arrangement of molecules in liquid crystals determines their special optical properties. Their properties can be controlled by exposing them to magnetic or electric field. It is used in LCD displays on watches, calculators, computers and late-model televisions.

Stage 1: Dissolve salt in heated water

Step 2: Stir until completely dissolved (until the salt no longer dissolves)

Stage 3: Tie a thread and lower it into a supersaturated solution

Stage 4: Let the solution cool and wait for small crystals of copper sulfate to appear

Stage 5: Copper sulfate crystal - if you wait longer!

Grow real crystal– quite simple, interesting and informative. This article talks about how to do this at home.

Crystals are formed from any substance whose atoms and molecules are grouped into an ordered structure. To grow them, you don’t need a laboratory or special equipment. 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 small child can do it school age under adult supervision.

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

Types of crystals

A monocrystal is a single large crystal, for example, an artificial stone. It is formed under the condition that crystallization processes occur extremely slowly.
A polycrystal is formed when crystallization occurs quickly. In this case, many tiny crystals are formed. This is how metals behave.

Ways to grow crystals at home

One of the simplest ways to grow a crystal is to cool a saturated solution. What processes occur in this case?

In warm water, the substance chosen for the experiment (for example, salt) dissolves completely.
The temperature of the solution is lowered: this reduces the solubility of the salt. Undissolved salt is formed and precipitates.
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.
If there are no foreign inclusions in the solution (ordinary specks of dust, fluff, etc.), and cooling occurs gradually, these grains-crystals grow together into larger and more regular crystals.
Rapid cooling causes the formation of many tiny crystals of irregular shape 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?

Dishes with a saturated solution must be kept for a long time at a constant temperature.
It is necessary to exclude the entry of litter and dust, and also slow down the evaporation of water (to do this, just cover the container with paper).
You can grow a crystal on some kind of suspension in the middle of the container (then it will take on the correct shape), or on the bottom of the container.
If the crystal grows on the bottom, it must be rotated periodically to achieve symmetry.
In place of the evaporated water, add a solution of the same consistency as at the beginning of the experiment.

The basic principle in in this case remains the same: the slower the processes affecting crystallization, the more beautiful, larger and more regular the crystals will be. If the original crystal which acted as the basis for growth was of an irregular shape, it will complete the missing parts as it grows and assume a configuration typical of the nature of its substance. So copper sulfate will eventually grow into a rhombus, and chromium-potassium alum salts will form an octahedron.

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

Safety of crystals

Failure to comply with storage conditions may lead to 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 long and painstaking work.

Thus, the chiseled edges of an alum crystal under the influence 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, manganese, zinc, nickel salts, and Rochelle salt. The only way out is to place the crystals in sealed transparent vessels. Some recommend covering the crystals with a clear varnish, but this only delays the death. Also, varnished edges lose their original shine and look artificial.

High temperatures destroy crystals grown from copper sulfate and potassium alum. The lifespan of such crystals can extend storage in household refrigerator. However, even here they will last about 2 years.

Another problem with crystals of water-soluble substances is that they are destroyed by changes temperature regime due to moisture, which remains in small quantities inside them. For this reason, spots appear, chips appear, edges fade, and loss of shine occurs.

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

What can a crystal be grown from?

In addition to the above substances, crystals can be grown at home 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 labor-intensive 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 obtain an artificial stone, you will need a real laboratory.

What should be the substance for growing a crystal at home?

Safe, non-toxic. Not all substances with a crystalline structure meet 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 it at home, because it enters into an oxidation reaction with oxygen in the air and releases toxic substances that are dangerous to humans.
Second important quality– stability. That is, the selected substance must enter into contact with water reversible reaction. In addition, resistance to temperature fluctuations is important. Some organic matter may be irreversibly destroyed when exposed to hot water (hydrolysis reaction).
Cost of reagents. As you know, the first experiment (or several) may not be very successful, so to begin with it is better to opt for inexpensive and accessible substances.
Yes, growing crystals will require a lot of purified water - this should also be taken care of in advance.
Ability to dissolve in water. Before starting the experiment, you should find out what consumption of the selected substance is required for a given volume of water. To grow a sugar crystal, for example, you will need to dissolve at least 2 kg of sugar in 1 liter of water. So it is better to first draw up a graph of the solubility of the starting substance. To do this, you need to subtract the mass of the same volume of filtered solution from the mass of a glass of water after the dissolution is completed and the temperature has stabilized. This will help you get an idea of how much crystallization substance is needed for a given volume of water.

How to grow a table salt crystal

The easiest way to practice is with regular table salt. Then you won’t need special chemicals, just salt and purified water.

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

Salt crystal

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

Tie the salt crystal to a thread and place it in a glass

Step 2. Pour warm water into a container (transparent so you can observe the growth of the crystal) and add salt. Stir until the salt dissolves completely. 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 larger diameter with hot water. Eventually the precipitate will dissolve. If there is something left at the bottom, it is better to pour the solution into a clean container.

Step 4. Place the container with the resulting solution in a place with a stable temperature. Immerse the crystal-nucleus on a string into the solution. The top of the vessel with the solution must be covered with paper.

The embryo crystal on the thread is immersed in the solution

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

How to grow a sugar crystal

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

Sugar crystals

The process of preparing the solution is similar to how it is done for salt crystals. The easiest way to grow sugar crystals is on toothpicks or wooden skewers. To “prime”, just dip a skewer in syrup and dip it in sugar so that it sticks evenly to the surface. You need to wait time for the sugar to stick well and dry.

To form colored crystals, you should add food coloring to the syrup (the best option is juice).

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

Sugar crystals on sticks (Video)

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

How to grow a crystal of copper sulfate

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

Copper sulfate crystal

Growing such a crystal is no more difficult than a salt crystal: you will need a saturated solution and a crystal embryo on a string.

Crystal of copper sulfate suspended on a thread

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

The solution in a transparent container must be placed in a shaded place with a stable temperature, hang the crystal as in the case of salt, and wait, periodically adding the solution to replace the evaporated one.

Day 42 of the experiment

You cannot remove the crystal from the working solution until the procedure for its formation is completed!

Safety precautions

Food containers should not be used to grow crystals (with the exception of experiments with salt and sugar). You should not leave food nearby: firstly, because the reagents are toxic, and secondly, because of debris and crumbs, which, if they get into the solution, will ruin the experiment.

When manipulating chemical reagents, you must follow absolutely all the rules indicated on the packaging. Upon completion of work, you should wash your hands.

Growing a crystal at home is quite simple, interesting and educational. First, it is better to practice on 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 begin to work with other reagents. It never gets boring because different substances give crystals different shapes and coloring. In addition, no two crystals are exactly alike, and their configuration and size can be adjusted at will.

Growing crystals at home is a very long, labor-intensive and painstaking process, but it is very exciting and definitely worth the time spent. Children really enjoy this experience, and most of the methods below are completely safe. So, let's look at the main ways to grow crystals at home.

How to grow a crystal from sugar at home

It is best to start your experiments in 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 transparent glasses.

The crystal making process begins with making sugar syrup. To do this, take 1/4 cup of water and two tablespoons of sugar. Mix and heat 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 perfect and beautiful the crystal will be. In a similar way, we make the required number of blanks and leave them until completely dry, for example, overnight.

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

Pour the cooled but still hot syrup into glasses. At this stage, you can add a little food coloring to the syrup, then the crystal will eventually turn out colored. We lower our preparation (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 approximately a week to grow the crystal. This is a very interesting and exciting process that children really like. Every day the crystal grows larger and takes on its own individual shape. Some crystals grow faster, some slower, but the bulk matures in just 7 days. The resulting crystal from sugar is very good to use with the whole family at a home tea party, or just nibble on it in moments of blues! Like this, entertaining chemistry It's not only interesting, but also delicious ;).

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 the water in a saucepan, heat it very strongly, and do not bring it to a boil; the experiment will not work in boiling water. After heating the water, gradually begin to pour salt into it, stirring constantly until the portion of salt is completely dissolved. After this, add more salt and stir until dissolved. And so on until the salt stops dissolving. Pour the resulting saturated brine in a jar and let it sit well for 24 hours. The next day we will see many small crystals of settled salt in the jar. We choose the most beautiful and largest of them, carefully take them out and tie them on a thread. Carefully pour the solution into an empty jar, making sure that the settled crystals do not fall into new vessel. Then we lower the crystal on a string into a filtered saline solution and be patient. 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, just as we did above, and lower our crystal there. By the way, if you frequently change the salt solution, the crystal will grow faster.

It is very important not to deliberately cool the solution or shake it, as this will result in imperfectly shaped crystals. Also, you should 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 sulfate at home is the next level of complexity, which requires compliance with safety requirements and can only be done by children under adult supervision.

To conduct the experiment we will need:

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

Before purchasing, be sure to examine the substance; it should be a bright blue, homogeneous powder. If there are lumps and green inclusions, it is better to refuse the purchase. It will be useful for summer residents on the farm, but not for us, novice chemists.

So, the correct vitriol has been purchased. Pour approximately 100 grams of powder into glass jar and add hot water little by little, stirring constantly. We must obtain a saturated solution in which the copper salt can no longer dissolve. Filter the solution and put it in the refrigerator. The next day we will find many crystals at the bottom. We select a couple of the largest and most beautiful ones and place them in a container with a filtered solution. Before this, we treat the crystals in the same way as in the previous experiment with table salt, namely, we fasten them on a thread and lower them into a jar. Cover the vessel with thin paper and be patient. 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 covered 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 crystal of copper sulfate
How to grow a crystal from potassium alum

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

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

natural sulfur crystals

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

On the shores of salt lakes and seas you can see cubic crystals 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 this 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 place a container of water on the stove and bring the water to a boil. Then remove the container from the stove and dissolve regular salt from the pack in it. Constantly stirring the solution, add salt until you notice that it no longer dissolves.

Received saline solution you need to filter and pour into a flat container, for example, a saucer. The water will cool and begin to evaporate, and on the edges of the saucer and on its bottom you will see transparent cubes of regular shape - these are crystals of rock salt, halite.

You can grow a large crystal, or several large cubic crystals. To do this, place a woolen thread in the container in which you dissolved the salt. As the solution cools, it will become covered with salt cubes. The slower the solution cools, the more regular the crystals will have. After some time, growth will stop.

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

For the right crystals to grow, they need peace. Do not shake or move the table or shelf on which the container with growing crystals stands.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM SUGAR

You can grow sugar crystals in the same way as salt crystals. Sugar crystals can also be grown on wooden sticks; this can be a beautiful 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 complete instructions, how to grow sugar crystals on sticks.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM COPPER SULATE

Copper sulfate is sold in gardening stores; from it and slaked lime, “Bordeaux liquid” is prepared to protect plants from fungi and various diseases.

In order to grow a crystal of copper sulfate (Cu SO4 * 5H2O) of the correct shape, powdered copper sulfate should be dissolved in water at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. With more high temperature the solubility of copper sulfate decreases. Dissolve the powder until dissolution stops. At the end of a wire or woolen thread we tie a seed - a small crystal of the same copper sulfate. Where can I get it? You can look for a larger crystal in the same bag from which you poured the vitriol into the water. If you don’t find one, 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 wire or thread. Filter the solution. Then dip the prepared seed (crystal on a thread) into it. Never put the seed into a hot solution! The seed may simply dissolve. A large crystal of copper sulfate grows for several weeks. A crystal grown to the required size must be varnished, since the moisture contained in the air will eventually lead to its melting and destruction.

You can grow it in an easy way beautiful copper crystals. Detailed description process can be found in the detailed article “How to grow copper crystals“.

Iron sulfate crystals are grown in a similar way; a detailed article about this can be read by following the link in this sentence.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM ALUMINUM POTASSIUM Alum

grown crystals of potassium alum

Potassium alum (KAI 2*12H2O - mineral alunite) are sold in pharmacies 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 the pharmacy

From these crystals you need to select several 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 need to be transferred to a new glass, the solution should be filtered and the growing crystals should be poured into it again. Alum crystals grown to the required size should be varnished so that they do not melt from air moisture and lose their shape.

It is advisable to prepare solutions for growing crystals using 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 sediment at the bottom of the vessel (powder). Beautiful malachite, practically indistinguishable from natural, can only be obtained using industrial equipment.

Enterprises also grow crystals of many minerals. But this cannot be repeated at home; this requires 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 Growing Kits

crystal growing kit

Now in toy stores, major cities, kits for growing crystals have appeared on sale. From powders ammonium and potassium dihydrogen phosphate, to which dyes are added, interesting prismatic and needle-shaped crystals can be grown. In order for the crystals to turn out 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 for growing crystals and what dye is used. Otherwise it is quite detailed.

There are many interesting processes happening in nature. One of them is the creation of crystals rocks. But this wonderful process, shrouded in mystery, can be reproduced at home, observing how beautiful minerals gradually grow from familiar substances.

The safest ingredient is sugar. It’s worth starting with, 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.

Make syrup from 1/4 cup water and 2 tablespoons sugar. Then the sticks are dipped into it and rolled in a small amount of sugar sprinkled on a napkin. When they are completely dry, take a container, pour 2 glasses of water into it and add half the amount of sugar. Reduce the heat to low, place the container on the stove, and while stirring, wait for all the sugar to dissolve. Add the rest of the sand and dissolve it. Turn off the burner and let the solution stand for about 20 minutes. Pour the 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 1 available ingredient is NaCl - table salt. Let's get started:

Pour 200 ml of warm water into a glass.
Add salt in portions, stirring all the time. We do this until the salt crystals stop dissolving. It will take approximately 70 g. It is important that the salt is pure, otherwise the experiment may end in a negative result.
Take a container of water and put it on fire. We place the glass there and let it sit there until the solution in it is heated. Don't forget to put a cloth 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 attached. If instead of a crystal you tie a pebble or a figurine made of copper wire, then in the end you will get a very beautiful sample.
Take out the glass and pass the solution through filter paper. We place the device on the edges of the glass. The thread with the crystal will fall into the saturated solution. Set aside a dark place for dishes.
We observe how the crystal grows. When you decide that it has grown enough, remove it, dry it, and coat it with varnish. Handle it carefully - it is very fragile.

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

Take a glass jar and pour water - 300 ml.
We gradually introduce copper sulfate until the solution is supersaturated.
Place a pan of water on the stove, place a jar in it and heat it.
We hang a bead or button on a thread. We tie it to a wooden stick.
Remove the jar and let the solution cool.
Place a stick with 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 for the crystal to grow, then take it out.
Apply the coating using colorless nail polish.

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

dissolve in heated water;
filter;
put in a quiet place, temperature - room;
crystals appear after a few days at the bottom of the dish;
choose the best ones, transfer them to another container and fill them with old filtered solution;
repeat this operation after 2-3 days until the required size of minerals is obtained;
take out, blot with a napkin and varnish.

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

Let's summarize this: growing crystals is a creative, exciting process. If you do this with a child, then who knows, maybe he will grow up to be a famous explorer?

Do you want to surprise your child and involve him in the world of science? Try a crystal growing experiment at home. This solids with a symmetrical structure. They are used for decoration, games, and even eaten as sweets. We invite you to find out how and from what you can grow a crystal.

Let's 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. Let's 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 syrup with sugar. Sprinkle sugar on a flat surface. Dip wooden sticks in syrup and then roll in sugar. Leave overnight to dry.

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

How to grow a crystal at home from table salt

Use table salt for growing. The chemical process takes 1–1.5 weeks.

You will need:

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

Use a pencil, clothespins or cardboard as a holder.

Add salt to hot water and stir. Filter undissolved crystals through cheesecloth. Select a large salt crystal (seed). Tie it with the edge of a rope or fishing line and place it in the saline solution. Attach the second edge 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 crystals from copper sulfate. The substance is sold in stores for summer residents. Fill the vitriol with water up to 80 degrees, otherwise it will not dissolve. You will find the preparation in a bag with the substance. Or prepare 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.

Crystals look attractive, attract the eye and fascinate. Gemstones used in jewelry are mineral crystals.

Crystals of natural minerals

Thanks to modern technologies people have learned to grow such beauty on their own, and synthetic gems difficult to distinguish from crystals of natural origin. Table salt can also grow in the form of crystals. To see this, let's look at ways to grow salt at home.

Materials for growing salt

To grow a salt crystal, prepare an appropriate solution and special dishes. The process itself will take several months, so you will have to be patient. The growth of a salt crystal is affected by air humidity, room temperature, solution saturation, and the type of salt used. To successfully complete the experiment, you will need the following components:

A container made of material that is not capable of oxidation in salt water (a glass jar will do);

Table or sea salt;

Funnel;

Copper wire or thread;

Napkins or filter paper;

Wooden or glass rod for stirring the solution.

Table salt crystals

Salt growing process

Pour distilled water into a container and add salt. Salt must be added until mixing becomes difficult.
Place the resulting mixture in a water bath and wait until the salt is completely dissolved in the water.
Strain the solution through filter paper or a napkin into a prepared jar.
Tie a small salt crystal to a thread and lower it into the cooled liquid. Tie the second edge of the thread to a stick, the length of which is greater than the diameter of the neck of the jar. The stick will help secure the thread with the crystal, which is constantly suspended.
Cover the resulting structure with a piece of cloth or a napkin, then place it in a place with the least temperature changes.
During the experiment, you must not touch the jar, move or pull the thread with the crystal. The structure must remain motionless.
After 4 weeks the crystal will increase to the size of a bean, after 8 weeks the diameter of the stone will reach 4 cm. If a salt crystal is needed bigger size, you'll have to wait a few more months.
Carefully remove the finished crystal of the required diameter from the jar and wipe with a napkin. To protect the crystal from external damage, it is recommended to coat the stone with clear nail polish.
After the varnish has dried, you can admire the salt crystal.

The crystal is grown in the same way of blue color- for this, blue food coloring is added to the solution.

Blue salt crystals

How to grow a white crystal from sea salt

To create a white crystal from sea salt you will need the materials described above. The process of growing salt occurs as follows.

Prepare a saturated saline solution in a glass container. Add 40 g of sea salt to 100 g of hot water and stir the solution until the salt dissolves.
Cool the resulting liquid, then filter.
Let the solution stand for several hours, then filter again.
Attach a grain of sea salt to the copper wire big size and lower it into a container with a solution so that the crystal does not touch the bottom.
Cover the jar with a sheet of paper to prevent foreign objects and dust from getting inside.
After two days, carefully remove the wire with the crystal, move it to another vessel and pour the solution into it.
Once a week the liquid is filtered.
After a few days, the growth of the salt crystal will become noticeable. You can grow the stone until a crystal of the required diameter is formed.

A stone grown from salt is characterized by increased fragility and fragility, so you should not hold it in your hands for no reason. After varnishing, it is recommended to store the crystal in a closed container to avoid damage. Using the methods described, you can grow a lot of salt crystals at home. different color using brightly colored food colors when preparing the solution. To find out what other crystals you can grow at home, click

Modern man has become capable of many things: nanotechnology, artificial insemination, studying distant galaxies. What then can we say about growing minerals at home? Yes, yes, each of us today can grow a real crystal in our kitchen without laboratory equipment and scientific knowledge. All you need is ingenuity, patience and a few available materials.

Crystals, regardless of whether they are natural or artificial, amaze with their beauty, versatility and unusualness. This is why interest in growing crystals at home 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 different methods, choosing the one you liked best. There are even special kits on sale for fans of home experiments, with the help of which it is possible to obtain crystals of simply incredible shapes.

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

Video on 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 begin the unusual process of growing crystals.

Instructions on how to grow crystals

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

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

For cultivation beautiful crystal need to:

Container for crystal. This is a kind of incubator that must comply with the rules: it should not oxidize, give off color, or deplete the smell. The best option- glass or enamel dishes. We immediately exclude metal, clay, and plastic vessels. As for size, there are no restrictions: it matters what size crystal you need.
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 white napkins good quality or filter paper.
The main component for the solution. It could be table salt, sugar, soda or something else. You select this product in accordance with the selected recipe.

Although solutions from 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 can be a large piece of salt) is washed in water and immersed in the prepared solution.
The container with the solution is tightly closed. After about 24 hours, remove the lid. Around 3-4 weeks a large crystal will already be noticeable.
As soon as the top of the crystal emerges to 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 won’t surprise anyone with a colorless crystal, then a bright blue crystal will definitely be a real surprise. To create such beauty, a special ingredient is used - copper sulfate. It produces a brighter, more natural shade of blue than food coloring.

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

If you stick to 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 stop dissolving 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 it aside.

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

How to grow a crystal from salt quickly

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

Let's start growing a salt crystal:

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

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

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

How to grow a crystal from sugar

Sugar crystals are not just a masterpiece of homemade creativity, but also an unusual delicacy. Just imagine becoming an edible crystal creator! Just remember to use the highest quality products.

So, let's begin:

Prepare simple sugar, you can take food coloring if you wish, you will also need wooden sticks, water and several napkins.

Take 2 tbsp. water and 5 tbsp. sugar, but we won’t use them right away. Heat ¼ tbsp in a saucepan. water and 2 tbsp. l. sugar - you will get a sweet syrup.
Place a handful of sugar on a clean napkin and roll the sticks dipped 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 thoroughly so that the sugar does not crumble.
While the pieces are drying, take a pan and add 2.5 tbsp. sugar and 2 tbsp. water, cook syrup. When all the sugar has dissolved, pour in 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 immerse the sticks in them. The workpiece should not reach the bottom or come into contact with the walls of the glass.
Thanks to the sheet, the stick will be securely fastened, and the paper will also act as a shield that protects the syrup from penetration of the saw and moisture.

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

How to grow a crystal from citric acid

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

Growing process:

In water (100 ml) at a temperature of 20⁰C, dissolve citric acid (130 g). During operation, the container with the solution will need to be slightly warmed up so that the temperature is stably maintained at 20⁰C. To do this, you can use another container with hot water into which you can immerse a glass of citric acid. It is advisable to monitor the process using a thermometer.
Then, over the course of a week, you need to add citric acid until it stops dissolving. For this, the remaining 50 g of citric acid will be 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 fishing line and immerse it in the 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.

The 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 growing crystals from food products has already been successfully mastered, you can aim for a home 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 you obtain such a pebble. You can buy the substance without problems in an online store or a store with goods for 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 homemade 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, and using a wooden stick or pencil, fix the fishing line with the crystal on the glass so that it is immersed in the solution.
If you want to grow a garden of crystals, take a smooth stone, preferably granite, and lower it into the bottom of a bowl with a solution.
Every day the crystal will increase in size. After three weeks, the crystal will begin to “peek out” from the water. At this point, it needs to be removed from the container, dried and coated 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

You can quickly grow a beautiful, regular-shaped crystal from aluminum alum. If you don't know what it is, we'll clarify: it's medicinal product(double salts) to stop external bleeding and relieve inflammatory process. It is sold at the pharmacy and costs a couple of rubles.

The process is quite simple:

First, buy the necessary drug at the pharmacy. It looks like this:

Boil 0.5 liters of water, dissolve 6 tbsp in it. l. alum.
Now all that remains is 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.
In a week the crystals will grow noticeably:

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

Dip the base crystal into the solution and wait 1-2 weeks. Its octahedral shape will remain the same, but the size of the crystal will increase significantly.
You will get this exclusive pendant:

How to grow a crystal in two days

It is impossible to grow the right crystal with beautiful edges from scrap materials in 1-2 days. IN best case scenario you will end up with many small crystals fused into one bizarre figure. But you can easily solve this dilemma - buy a ready-made kit for growing crystals in two days. You can find it in any craft store. The process is clear and accessible even for children. The video will tell you how to grow a radiant crystal in 48 hours:

How to grow a crystal on a string

To grow crystals on a string you will need baking soda. Before starting the process, make sure that all working surfaces are clean, since even the smallest speck can ruin all your efforts. To work you will need two glass glasses, a pack of soda, wool thread, boiling water.

Soda crystals on a string - growing:

Fill the prepared glasses halfway 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 stops dissolving.
Take a thread 35 cm long and secure it with a paper clip at its ends. Place glasses with soda solution in one row, placing a saucer between them, immerse the ends of the thread in 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 when using salt or sugar. But the crystals turn out to be much more interesting.

How to grow:

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

How to grow green crystal

Knowing the basics of chemistry, it is not difficult to grow a homemade crystal of an exclusive green color. Of course, the easiest way is to buy a special set in a 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 foam and wrap it with wool thread, like a ball.

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

Add 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 the 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 ¾ full 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, and 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. Some will become interested in an unusual hobby, collecting their crystal collection, some will have fun with their children, and some will improve their knowledge of chemistry. But, in any case, you will have an educational time. Happy experimenting!