Crystals have attracted people since ancient times. Almost all precious jewelry stones, with a few exceptions, are minerals with a clear crystal lattice. Modern technologies allow to grow artificial gemstones that do not look different from the real ones, have the same structure. Surprisingly, not only minerals, but ordinary grains of salt or sugar are also crystals that can grow. How to make salt crystals yourself? Let's talk about this in more detail.

First you need to choose the substance you want to form into a crystal. Experiments at home have shown that the easiest way is to use regular table salt. This method has an undoubted advantage - all the necessary components are literally at hand, without requiring a purchase or search for special components. Read the instructions carefully before starting the experiment. For " little miracle»Different salts are suitable:

• marine;
• cookery;
• copper or iron sulfate;
• potassium chloride;
• potassium alum;
• potassium permanganate.

Exercise extreme caution when handling the substances used. You must immediately decide what result you want to get - one large single crystal or several smaller... To do this, you will have to use different technologies... Note that growing single crystals is simpler in design. Important: the capacity in which our beautiful stone, it is unacceptable to shake and move, otherwise it will not work correct shape... It is forbidden:

• to remove the crystal from the vessel for no reason;
• use food coloring to add color;
• paint the surface of the finished "product" with paint.

How to grow a salt crystal at home

So you've decided to find out how to make a crystal from salt. For a little preliminary practice, the ready set for growing crystals, which is sold in children's stores. You will be able to carry out this process with your child. He will certainly enjoy the lesson. There is an express way to get what you are looking for in 1 day, but then you get not one large, but several spliced ​​small crystals. If you are ready for the anticipation and impressive results, we will tell you how to grow a crystal from table salt.

Required materials and tools

For the intended experience, it is necessary to prepare a set required materials which should contain:

• two transparent containers (so we can watch the growth);
• the substance that we will use for growing (in our case, this is table salt);
• stick or tablespoon;
• funnel;
• filter paper;
• thread, or better, if there is - a thin copper wire;
• a lot of time and patience.

Step-by-step instruction

Everything necessary materials prepared, it's time to start making a grain of salt magic stone... What is the basic principle of how a small crystal becomes large? A small grain is added to a saturated solution of the substance, and the molecules begin to adhere to it. The crystal is growing. In order for the molecules to stick, you need to cool the liquid or evaporate it. The slow cooling method achieves more quick result... We bring to your attention instructions on how to make crystals from table salt:

1. In a glass container (it is better not to use a plastic one) we cook saturated saline solution... V hot water add salt, mix thoroughly (for 100 grams of water heated to a temperature of 80 °, 36-38 grams of salt is required).
2. The finished solution must be allowed to cool. An hour after that, it must be filtered - using a funnel with cotton wool or special filter paper.
3. We filter the composition that has stood for several hours again.
4. We tie a grain of salt to a copper wire or thread and lower it inside the container. It should be suspended without touching the bottom. Cover the jar with paper to prevent dust from entering.
5. In a day or two, the bottom, walls, and the wire itself are overgrown with many small crystals. We take the second vessel, carefully move our embryo there and pour the liquid.
6. We fill the remaining crystals with water again, and then all the time we maintain the liquid level in the jar with the growing crystal. About once a week, the solution must be filtered from precipitated crystals.
7. After a few days, the growth will be clearly visible. Keep growing as long as you like until you get desired result... Then carefully remove the wonder stone, gently rinse and cover colorless varnish polish to give strength.

Our little new acquaintance Genie promised to show and teach how to grow crystals at home. Young archaeologists share with us their impressions and experiences.

What are crystals?

Crystals are solids that have a natural external form regular symmetric polyhedra based on their internal structure. The first studies of crystals date back to the early 17th century.

They grow and “multiply” on their own, which is why they can rightfully be called “alive”. Most crystals require water as their main ingredient to "nourish" them.

How to grow a fluffy crystal

Fluffy crystal - amazing and very fragile. Modern "chemically grown trees" are based on it. We ! And today we have completely grown such a tree ourselves.

To grow a fluffy crystal, we needed:

• Polyvinyl alcohol
• Hot water
• Urea
• Dye
• Liquid soap
• Filter paper
• Petri dish, or saucer
• Measuring spoon
• Glass vessel
• Beaker

As with creating fun, you first need to dissolve 5 g of polyvinyl alcohol in 100 ml of hot water in a glass jar on a water bath.

And now creative process: create a "tree" from filter paper. To do this, cut out a rectangle from the circle and make a cylinder out of it, fastening it with a stapler. After that we cut one edge into "petals" and bend them slightly to the side.

The progress of the experiment on growing a fluffy crystal

Let's prepare a saturated solution of urea. To do this, pour 15 g of urea and a few grains of dye into a glass.

After stirring, add 15 ml of hot water.

After thoroughly mixing the solution again, add 2 ml of the prepared solution of polyvinyl alcohol to the glass. For more intense crystal growth, it is recommended to add a couple of drops of liquid soap.

Now we pour the solution into a Petri dish, in the center of which we place the prepared base for crystals - "wood". And ... watching and wondering!

The first crystals appeared in 20 minutes:

Here they were in an hour:

In a day:

Crystals grow intensively and quickly, but at the same time they are very fragile. But to be honest, this property is very fascinating for children. Because when I allowed them to do whatever they wanted with the trees, at the end of the experiment, they with great pleasure and for quite a long time “broke” the fluffy crystals, examined them, carefully studied them, touched them ...

How to grow a polycrystal

Polycrystal Is a crystal consisting of many differently oriented small single crystals. Due to their irregular shape, they are often called crystallites.

To grow a polycrystal at home, you need to acquire the following:

• Dye
• Ammonium monophosphate
• Hot water
• Wand
• Thread
• Measuring spoon
• Beaker

Carrying out an experiment on growing polycrystals at home

Prepare a saturated solution of ammonium monophosphate. To do this, pour the substance into a measuring glass up to the 100 ml mark, add the dye and pour 150 ml of hot water. Stir the solution thoroughly for a couple of minutes.

Now we tie a thread to the stick and for 2-3 minutes lower its end into the resulting solution to a depth of about 5 cm. After that, take out the thread and leave it to dry for 10-15 minutes. This triggers the formation of crystal growth centers on the thread.

We again lower the thread into the solution and observe. Intense growth crystals starts within an hour:

The longer the crystal remains in solution, the larger it becomes.

We saw an interesting picture. In addition to the thread, we left a stirring stick in the glass with the solution, and no less beautiful polycrystals grew on it, which very quickly turned into "ice cream on a stick" and captivated our son for a long time.

Polycrystals grow very beautiful. It's interesting to look at them in the light. The light refracts from the edges and gives out a little rainbow ...

How to grow a single crystal

Monocrystal- a separate homogeneous crystal with a continuous crystal lattice. Growing a single crystal at home requires much more time and these are the ingredients and materials:

• Potassium alum
• Hot water
• Dye if desired
• Measuring spoon
• Filter paper
• Beaker
• Stir stick

First you need to prepare the "seed". For her, we prepare a solution of 3 spoons of potassium alum and 50 ml of hot water.

Now we pass the solution through the filter, rolling it up in the form of a funnel. Filtration takes a long time. When my son wanted to speed it up, stirring with a stick, the paper broke and had to be done again. So it’s better not to rush.

The filtered solution, covered with paper, must be left for 10-15 hours. During this time, crystals of potassium alum form at the bottom of the glass, which will serve as a "seed".

Drain the saturated solution into an empty glass, select the largest crystal and tie it to the tip of the thread. Tie the other end of the thread to the stick.

Again we prepare a solution of potassium alum and hot water, using this time the ratio: 9 spoons of the substance and 150 ml of water. If desired, dye can be added to the still dry substance.

When the solution cools down, filter it and lower the thread with the "seed". Cover the glass with paper and be patient: the crystal grows for a long time - 3-4 weeks.

Unfortunately, we failed to grow a single crystal. Apparently we were in too much of a hurry and we got several pockets of growth. Thus, we have grown another polycrystal ...

To carry out all these exciting experiences for growing crystals at home, we used only one set with chemical experiments for children from "" - Secrets of Crystals .

Several days of experimentation flew by quickly and excitingly. Every morning, my son was in a hurry to watch how much his crystals had grown.

We also had experience in growing crystals from salt. It turned out to be a beautiful polycrystal white... Did you grow crystals at home? Share your experience and impressions!

PS: You can buy these and other sets of the SuperProfessor series here.

I wish you a fun summer!

With warmth,

Alexey, Arseny and Lyudmila Potsepun.

If you gravitate towards chemistry or have a restless child, who wants to be occupied with something interesting, the technology of growing a crystal is simply created for you. Read about how to grow a crystal at home from salt in our article with a photo!

Ingredient set

Growing is a long process, but the result is amazing natural crystal, which will take its rightful place on the shelf of your crafts.

To grow, we need the following ingredients:

• edible salt
• a lot of patience

To make a handsome crystal, use purified water, because it does not contain chlorine and other harmful impurities.

Crystal growing

Answering the question of how to grow a crystal at home from salt, it is worth saying that the work begins with the preparation of a saline solution:

• take a glass of water and pour it into a small container
• Put the overflowing water into a container bigger size and add water with a temperature of 50-60 C.

To obtain a liquid of the required temperature, mix half a glass of boiling water with a glass of water at room temperature.

• Now add 2-3 tbsp. l. salt in a small container, stir and leave for 5 minutes to dissolve the salt particles in the water. Dissolution will occur by heating water in a small container.
• Next, you need to add 1-2 tbsp into a small container every 5 minutes. l. salt until sodium chloride stops dissolving.

After 2-3 additions, sodium chloride will no longer dissolve in water. Now is the time to pour the resulting concentrated saline solution into a small container. During transfusion, make sure that undissolved crystals do not enter the new vessel.

Choosing the main crystal

After preparing the saline solution, select a large crystal from the bag of regular salt, and then lower it to the bottom of the container with the concentrated liquid. All that remains is to send the future crystal to the windowsill and watch its growth, which can last for several weeks.

If you want to accelerate the growth of the crystal, then after 3-4 days it can be carefully removed from the container, and then prepared new solution... The procedure will significantly accelerate the growth of the crystal, because it will receive new material to build up volume. But such actions can destroy the crystal, so it is better to just add a little salt solution every 2-3 days as the liquid evaporates.

How to Grow Sodium Chloride Crystal?

Answering the question of how to grow a crystal at home from salt, it is worth talking about a number of factors that affect the final form of a salt product:

• If the string is lowered to the bottom of the jar with the crystal, the crystal will form around this makeshift support. To support the center of the pencil, tie a string and dip it into the mortar. Everything, salt particles will independently find support.
• If you quickly cool the saline solution, the crystal will form more quickly, but its shape will be ugly. With gradual cooling of the liquid, the formation of the crystal will take longer, and the shape will be perfect.

• Do not shake the jar with the crystal so as not to disrupt its formation.
• Do not add colorants to the salt liquid, as they will only slow down the formation of the crystal.
• After making the crystal, you can use it to decorate the interior, because the salt picks up extraneous odors, harmful vapors and radiation from electrical appliances!

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

Crystals are formed from any substance whose atoms and molecules are grouped into an ordered structure. You don't need a laboratory to grow them or special devices... 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 youngest child can carry it out school age under the supervision of adults.

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

Crystal types

1. A single crystal is a one-piece large crystal, for example fake diamond... It is formed under the condition that the crystallization processes are extremely slow.
2. A polycrystal is formed when crystallization is rapid. In this case, many tiny crystals are formed. This is how metals behave.

Ways to grow crystals at home

One of the most simple ways growing a crystal - cooling a saturated solution. What processes occur during this process?

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 forms and precipitates.
3. Sediment formation 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 grains, villi, etc.), and cooling occurs gradually, these grains-crystals grow together into larger and more regular crystals.
5. Rapid cooling causes the formation of many tiny crystals of irregular shape at once, which do not join together and inhibit the growth of each other.

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. Cookware with a saturated solution must be kept at a constant temperature for a long time.
2. It is necessary to exclude the ingress of litter and dust, as well as slow down the evaporation of water (for this, it is enough to cover the container with paper).
3. The crystal can be grown 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, 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 correct the crystals will be. If the original crystal, which served as the basis for growth, had irregular shape, it will supplement the missing parts in the course of growth and assume the configuration typical of the nature of its substance. So copper sulfate eventually grows into a rhombus, and the salts of potassium chromium alum form an octahedron.

It is believed that only a small crystal can grow at home from improvised means. This is not so: with due care, 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 desired result... Of course, it is necessary to immediately select a container of a suitable size.

Preservation of crystals

Failure to comply with storage conditions can 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 a long and painstaking work.

So, the chiseled edges of the alum crystal under the influence of ordinary dry air will fade due to the 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 crystals transparent varnish, but this only delays the time of death. And also - the lacquered edges lose their original shine and look artificial.

The high temperature destroys crystals grown from copper sulfate and potassium alum. The life of such crystals can be extended by storage in a household refrigerator. However, even here they will hold out for about 2 years.

Another problem with crystals of water-soluble substances is that they are destroyed by drops. temperature regime due to moisture in small amount stored inside them. For this reason, spots and chips appear, the edges are sagging, and the gloss is lost.

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

What crystal can be grown from

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

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 obtain an artificial stone, a real laboratory is required.

What should be the substance for home cultivation crystal?

1. 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 carry out experiments with it at home, because it enters into an oxidation reaction with oxygen in the air and releases toxic substances dangerous to humans.
2. Second important quality- 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 it gets into hot water (hydrolysis reaction).
3. The cost of reagents. As you know, the first experiment (or several) may not be very successful, therefore, for a start, it is better to opt for inexpensive and affordable substances.
4. Yes, growing crystals will need 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 how much the selected substance is required for a given volume of water. 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 first draw up a graph of 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 over and the temperature stabilizes. This will help you get an idea of ​​how much substance is needed for crystallization for a given volume of water.

How to grow a crystal of table salt

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

Step 1. Prepare a crystal of salt by tying it 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 does not come into contact with the surface of the vessel.

Tie a crystal of salt 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 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 container.

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

We immerse the crystal-germ on a thread in a solution

Step 5. The crystallization process has started. Then, 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 fairly durable.

How to grow a sugar crystal

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

Sugar crystals

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

To form colored crystals, add food coloring ( the best option- 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 you how to grow edible crystals from sugar that are not only beautiful to look at, but also delicious.

How to grow a copper sulfate crystal

Salt crystals are transparent white, while copper sulfate gives a deep blue hue.

Copper sulfate crystal

Growing such a crystal is no more difficult than growing a salt one: you need a saturated solution and a crystal-nucleus on a thread.

Copper sulfate crystal suspended on a string

In a saturated solution of copper sulfate on a thread, lower the seed

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

42 day experiment

The crystal must not be removed from the working solution until the procedure for its formation is completed!

Safety engineering

You cannot use food utensils 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 litter and crumbs, which, if they get into the solution, will ruin the experiment.

When handling chemical reagents, absolutely all the rules indicated on the package should be observed. At the end of the work, you need to wash your hands.

Growing a crystal at home is quite simple, interesting and informative. It's best to practice with the available substances first. 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 coloring. In addition, there are no two absolutely identical crystals, 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. Children love 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 sugar crystal at home

It is best to start your experiments on growing crystals at home with the most interesting and enjoyable ones. The easiest way is to grow a crystal 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 cups 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, bring on fire until syrup is obtained. Dip a wooden skewer in syrup and sprinkle with sugar a little. The more evenly the sprinkling of the skewer occurs, the more ideal and beautiful the crystal will be. 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 experiment. Pour 2 cups of water into a saucepan and pour 2.5 cups of sugar. Over low heat, stirring constantly, we 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, until completely dissolved, cook the syrup. After that, leave the syrup to cool slightly, this will take about 15-20 minutes. In the meantime, we continue to prepare blanks from skewers, the basis for our future crystal. We cut the circles of paper slightly 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, you can add a little food coloring 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 a 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 the crystal. This is a very interesting and exciting process that children really like. Every day the crystal grows and gains its own individual form... Some crystals grow faster, some slower, but the bulk ripens in just 7 days. The resulting crystal from sugar is very good for the whole family to use at home tea, or just gnaw in moments of blues! So, entertaining chemistry is not only interesting, but also delicious;).

How to grow salt crystal 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 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, little by little, we begin to pour salt into it, stirring constantly until the portion of salt is completely dissolved. After that, add more salt, stir until dissolved. And so on until the salt stops dissolving. Pour the resulting saturated saline solution into a jar and let it stand for a day. The next day we will see many small crystals of settled salt in the bank. We choose the most beautiful and largest of them, carefully take out and tie on a thread. We carefully pour the solution into an empty jar, making sure that the settled crystals do not fall into the new vessel. Then we dip the crystal on the thread into the 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 happy 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, the crystal growth will be faster.

It is very important not to specially cool the solution 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 copper sulfate crystal at home

Growing crystals from copper sulfate at home is already the next level of complexity, in which you need to comply with safety requirements and can only be performed by children under the supervision of adults.

To conduct an experiment, we need:

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

Before buying, be sure to consider the substance, it should be a bright blue homogeneous powder. If there are lumps and green blotches, it is better to refuse the purchase. For summer residents, it will go on the farm, but for us, novice chemists, no.

So, the correct vitriol has been purchased. Pour about 100 grams of powder into 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. We 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 ones and place them in a container with a filtered solution. Before that, we act with crystals in the same way as in previous experience with table salt, namely, we fix it on a thread and lower it into the jar. Covering the vessel thin paper and be patient. Growing a crystal from copper sulfate takes several weeks. After completing the formation of the crystal, it must be carefully removed, rinsed with cold running water and covered with colorless nail polish.

natural crystals rock crystal

• 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 potassium alum crystal

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

Beautiful hexagonal rhinestone crystals rose from hot aqueous solutions saturated with silica SiO2.

natural crystals of sulfur

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, formed under tremendous pressure in the so-called explosion tubes (kimberlite tubes).

So, nature has created and continues to create crystals of minerals. 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 SALT CRYSTAL

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 in it regular salt from the pack. Continuously stirring the solution, add salt until you notice that it no longer dissolves.

The resulting salty 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 at the edges of the saucer and at its bottom you will see transparent cubes of the correct shape - these are crystals of rock salt, halite.

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

To grow one large crystal, you need to choose the most correct one 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.

Rest is necessary for the growth of the right crystals. Do not shake or move a table or shelf on which a 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, it can be nice addition to any festive sweet dish. Food colorings added to the solution will color the sugar in all the colors of the rainbow.

Sugar crystals

Following is the full instructions, how to grow sugar crystals on sticks.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM COPPER CORE

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 sulfate (Cu SO4 * 5H2O) of the correct shape, powder copper sulfate should be dissolved in water at a temperature of 80 degrees Celsius. With more high temperature the solubility of copper sulfate falls. Dissolve the powder until dissolution stops. At the end of the wire or woolen thread we attach 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 vitriol into the water. If this is not found, leave your solution to cool, and after a while you will see small crystals at the bottom.

Pick 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 immerse the seed in the hot solution! The seed can simply dissolve. Large crystal copper sulfate grows for several weeks. Crystal grown to the right sizes, it is necessary to cover with varnish, since the moisture contained in the air, over time, will lead to its melting and destruction.

Not in a difficult way can be grown beautiful copper crystals... A detailed description of the process can be found in the detailed article "How to grow copper crystals".

Ferrous sulfate crystals are grown in a similar way, you can read a detailed article about this by following the link in this proposal.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM POTASSIUM ALUM

grown crystals of potassium alum

Potassium alum (KAI 2 * 12H2O - mineral alunite) are sold in the pharmacy in powder form. it good remedy, which "dries the skin" and kills pathogens, this substance does not cause allergies and it is not toxic. Potassium alum powder can grow good crystals... Dissolve the alum in warm water until saturation and filter the solution. After a few days in a calm place, if 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 choose several pieces of the correct shape and place them in another container. Then they are poured with the same solution. You can hang the seeds on thin threads (they can be glued to the thread with durable waterproof glue). Once every two to three days, the crystals must be transferred to a new glass, and the solution must be filtered and the growing crystals must be poured over again. Alum crystals grown to the required size should be varnished so that they do not melt from moisture in the air and do not lose their shape.

It is advisable to prepare solutions for growing crystals in distilled water.

At home, you can get an artificial malachite using copper sulfate and washing soda, but it 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, which practically does not differ from natural, can be obtained only on industrial equipment.

The factories also grow crystals of many minerals. But at home it is impossible to repeat this, 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 Growing Kits

crystal growing kit

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

Strange, but the instructions 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. Otherwise, it is quite detailed.

There is a lot going on in nature interesting processes... 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 the substances we are used to.

The safest ingredient is sugar. It is 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 cooked from 1/4 cup of water and 2 tablespoons of sugar. Then sticks are dipped in it and rolled in a small amount of sugar poured onto a napkin. When they are completely dry, take a container, pour 2 cups of water into it and pour in half the sugar norm. We reduce the fire to a minimum, 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 syrup hot into glasses and add food coloring to each dye. We put on the holders on the sticks. When we dip these sticks into hot syrup, the stopper will prevent contact with the sides and bottom of the dishes. In about 7 days, a miracle will happen.

1 more available ingredient- NaCl - food salt. Getting started:

• Pour into a glass warm water- 200 ml.
• 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 experience may end with a negative result.
• We take a container with water, put it on fire. We put a glass there, and let it be there until the solution is heated in it. Do not forget to put a cloth or some kind of support 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 attach a pebble or a figurine made of copper wire, then in the end we will get a very beautiful sample.
• We take out the glass, pass the solution through filter paper. We put the device on the edges of the glass. The thread with the crystal will sink into a saturated solution. We set aside a dark place for the dishes.
• We observe how the crystal grows. When you decide that it has grown enough, take out and dry, cover with varnish. Handle it with care - it is very fragile.

Very beautiful blue crystals grow from copper sulfate. This material is not as safe as sugar or salt, so work with 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 oversaturated.
• We put a pot of water on the stove, put a jar in it and heat it.
• We hang a bead or button on a thread. We tie to a wooden stick.
• We take out the jar, let the solution cool.
• Place the stick with the thread across the hole in the jar. We make sure that the load does not touch the bottom and walls of the vessel.
• We are waiting for the crystal to grow, then we take it out.
• Apply the coating using colorless nail polish.

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

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

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

To summarize, growing crystals is a creative, fun process. If you do this together with a child, then who knows, maybe a famous researcher will grow out of him?