How to make a stone out of salt. We make a crystal from salt at home without special reagents

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

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

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

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

Types of crystals

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

Ways to grow crystals at home

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

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. An undissolved salt is formed, which 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 dust particles, villi, etc.), and cooling occurs gradually, these grains-crystals coalesce into larger and regular crystals.
Rapid cooling causes the formation of many tiny irregular crystals at once, which do not connect with each other and inhibit each other's growth.

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

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

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

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

Preservation of crystals

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

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

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

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

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

What can you grow a crystal from?

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

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

What should be the substance for home growing a crystal?

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

How to grow a salt crystal

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

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

salt crystal

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

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

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

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

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

Embryo crystal on a thread is immersed in a solution

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

How to grow a sugar crystal

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

sugar crystals

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

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

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

Sugar crystals on sticks (Video)

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

How to grow a copper sulfate crystal

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

Copper sulfate crystal

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

Copper sulphate crystal suspended on a string

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

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

42 day experiment

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

Safety

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

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

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

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

How to grow a crystal from sugar at home

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How to grow a crystal from salt at home

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

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

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

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

How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate at home

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

For the experiment we need:

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

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

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

natural rock crystals

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

Mineral crystals are found everywhere in nature. For their education, special conditions are needed. 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 water solutions saturated with SiO2 silica.

natural sulfur crystals

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

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

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

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

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM SALT

grown salt crystals

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

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

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

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

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

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM SUGAR

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

sugar crystals

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

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM COPPER sulphate

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

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

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

Easy to grow beautiful copper crystals. 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, a detailed article on this can be read by clicking on the link in this proposal.

HOW TO GROW A CRYSTAL FROM POTASSIUM ALUMS

grown crystals of potassium alum

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crystal Grow Kits

crystal growing kit

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

Strangely, the instructions that are in the box shown in the photo do not indicate which chemical is used to grow the crystals and which dye is used. Other than that, it's pretty detailed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Crystals have long attracted the attention of people. Despite their natural origin, such stones look very unusual, almost "unnatural" beautiful. A huge variety of shapes and colors has made crystals a very popular material, often used in needlework, decoration and even jewelry.

It is known that such stones are formed as a result of solidification of liquids rich in minerals. Accordingly, you can grow a crystal right at home. The main thing is to figure out how to prepare a solution suitable for the formation of such a stone. Our guide will help you understand all the intricacies of the difficult, but insanely interesting process of growing crystals.

What you need to grow crystals at home

The growth of an artificial crystal depends on many conditions. If you want to create such a miracle of nature yourself, you will need to take into account many points. The composition of the crystallization solution (not to mention its concentration and saturation), and environmental conditions (humidity and air temperature), and even the properties of the surface on which the stone will grow will also be important.

That is why, before you start making a special liquid, you should make sure that you have everything you need for a future experiment:

a container of any non-oxidizing material (its size can be arbitrary; make your choice based on how big the crystal you plan to grow);
ordinary table salt;
a stick for mixing the solution (it is better if it is wooden or glass);
napkins or special filter paper (always white).

How to quickly grow a crystal from table salt and water

To grow a crystal from ordinary salt at home, you will have to be patient: this project can take you from 3 weeks to six months (the period will directly depend on how big the stone you want to get in the end). In a month, such a stone will hardly reach the size of a bean. For three - it will increase, to a maximum of 4 cm (meaning - in diameter).

First of all, prepare a special solution for growing crystals:

1. Take some clean distilled water and bring it to room temperature.

2. Dissolve ordinary table salt in the resulting liquid. It is better to take more seasonings. Continue adding salt until the solution is no longer difficult to mix.

3. Place the container with the prepared liquid in a water bath. Heat the composition until the salt in it dissolves completely.

4. Cool the resulting homogeneous mass, and then strain with gauze or a napkin. This step is necessary to isolate all solid impurities from the solution.

As soon as the liquid is ready, you can proceed directly to growing a salt crystal:

1. To get started, you will need a base. Ideal if you already have a small crystal of salt ready. In the absence of this, any solid object can be used as a base (preferably made of plastic, since this material will not oxidize in the prepared solution).

2. Take an ordinary thread (required - white). Tie one end of it to the selected base, and the other to a pencil, ruler, or any other object that can play the role of a “crossbar” lying across the neck of the container with the solution. Please note that the length of the thread itself must be such that the crystal suspended with its help is completely immersed in the liquid, however, it does not reach the bottom of the vessel.

3. Cover the finished structure with a cloth and put it in a place where strong temperature changes are impossible (in other words, away from windows and sources of drafts).

4. Now you just have to wait until the crystal grows. You can check its condition from time to time by gently lifting the structure by the thread on which it is suspended. However, at this time, avoid touching the crystal with your hands or touching the walls of the container with it! A fragile stone will not tolerate such treatment.

5. As soon as the crystal reaches the size you need, remove it from the solution, gently wipe it with a dry cloth and cover it with a colorless varnish. So the stone will become a little stronger, and it will be possible to pick it up without fear of breaking.

Crystals are substances whose atoms or molecules are ordered. Such formations have a symmetrical structure in the form of polyhedra. Facets in crystals can be from four to several hundred, they vary greatly in size, but they always amaze with their “correct” beauty.

In nature, such formations are common, but at home you can grow crystals on your own, for this you will not need so many improvised means. But the result will be simply stunning and fast enough. Within a few days you will be able to admire your own salt crystal of an unusual bizarre shape.

salt crystal

To understand how to grow a crystal from salt at home, you do not need special skills or knowledge, enough care and desire, of course. So, you will need:

Glass vessel.

Wooden stick, pencil or similar object.

If you do not have salt on hand, there is a simple alternative way - just use sugar instead of salt. In fact, this process is absolutely identical to how to grow a crystal from salt at home. So you can choose the main material to your liking.

Pour into a container of water. Best suited, but you can use regular tap water.

Add a small amount of salt and stir. Repeat this procedure until the salt no longer dissolves. You will understand this by the precipitation.

Pour the salt solution into a glass jar or glass so that no sediment remains.

Choose a large salt crystal and put it on the bottom of the jar. For best results, instead attach the crystal to a string and hang it on a pencil so that the thread does not touch the sides of the glass container.

Put the workpiece in a room with normal humidity (you can not put the jar in the bathroom or kitchen) and wait. Due to the fact that the selected container is glass, you can follow the process and wait for the desired result.

How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate

For those who want something more interesting, there is an opportunity to grow a beautiful structure in a rich blue color. To do this, we will tell you how to grow a crystal from copper sulfate. It should be noted that this substance is copper sulfate or copper salt, but the process of growing a crystal is still different from how to grow a crystal from salt at home. The thing is that copper sulfate is a rather dangerous chemical element, which means that it must be handled with caution. You will need:

Copper vitriol.

Heat-resistant flask for chemical experiments or glass jar.

A piece of copper wire.

Sandpaper.

Ballpoint pen refill.

Rubber gloves.

Get to work, making sure that copper sulfate does not get to small children and pets. Prepare your materials and start your experiment:

Put on gloves before starting work.

If you are using pure copper sulfate from a reagent store, distilled water will do, for household copper salt use . Heat the water to 60-70 degrees Celsius.

Add copper sulphate a little at a time until a precipitate forms.

Pour the water into another container to clear the sediment from the solution.

Using sandpaper, clean the copper wire, give it the desired shape and tie it to the thread.

By the way, if you do not have copper wire, you can grow a crystal from copper sulfate at home using a regular thread.

Using a ballpoint pen, attach the seed so that the wire does not touch the vessel wall.

Now leave for a few days and watch the result.

After your crystal has acquired the required shape, dry it and cover it with a colorless varnish so that over time the blue vitriol does not weather and the crystal does not disintegrate.

Now you know how to grow a crystal from salt at home, and you can experiment. Use different forms of seed to create interesting crafts. You can add a little dye to the water with salt (both ordinary food coloring and ordinary gouache paints will do). Use the whole flight of fancy, and then ordinary crystals from improvised means can become designer jewelry!

How to grow crystals at home and make money on it? How to make money on this interesting business, we will tell a little later in our article. First, we will touch on the issue of growing crystals and what you need to know for this.

How to grow a crystal?

What is a crystal? And everyone immediately saw a beautiful polyhedron, all iridescent and sparkling. There are two ways to grow crystals at home: by cooling the solution and by evaporating the water. The method of cooling the solution is that when cooled, the dissolution of salts in the solution slows down and they precipitate. If the solution is cooled quickly, then many small crystals are obtained, if slowly, then several large ones. The second method is the gradual removal of water from a saturated solution by simply evaporating the liquid.

Growing crystals is quite an interesting process. There are cases on the Internet when enthusiasts grew crystals of such a size that their friends were invited to lift or move it. When working with growing crystals, you should remember about your own safety and do not neglect some rules:

It is impossible to use unknown reagents for experiments;

It is impossible to eat at the same time during the experiment;

It is impossible to keep reagents for growing crystals in an open and accessible place, especially if you have small children and animals;

It is advisable to use rubber gloves during the experiment, if a solution of salts, acid gets on the skin or in the eyes, rinse everything with running water, if necessary, consult a doctor.

Such instruction will help you to be somewhat more attentive to your health and the health of your family members. Also, to grow crystals, you will need patience, a place where the solutions will stand (preferably away from the battery), and the desire to make something that will make everyone gasp.

Crystal growth technology

Now let's see what we can grow? Let's start simple, with sugar.

How to grow a crystal from sugar.

Such crystals are often served with expensive teas in cafes and restaurants. It looks simple, sugar crystals, with different flavors and color palettes on a stick. The cost of such sticks is from 100 rubles, depending on the size. Serve them for stirring tea, very nice. It will be interesting to grow such crystals with children at home, because after the crystals grow up, they can be absorbed like a lollipop.

For 5 crystalline sugar sticks you will need:

Two glasses of water;

Five glasses of sugar;

Five wooden sticks (you can use Chinese sticks or toothpicks);

Pot;

Food coloring for color;

We take a quarter cup of water, two tablespoons of granulated sugar and make syrup by heating over a fire. Take a stick, dip in syrup and roll in granulated sugar. Let the grains of sugar stick well, leave the stick overnight. In the morning we take a saucepan, pour two glasses of water and two and a half glasses of sugar into it and put it all on the stove. When all the sugar has dissolved, then pour out the remaining sugar (2.5 cups) and mix. And all this is cooked over low heat until completely dissolved, then leave it for 20 minutes to cool. Food coloring can be added during the cooking period. Next, the syrup is poured into glasses and sugar sticks are lowered into them, we fasten them with clothespins so that they do not touch the walls of the glass and its bottom. We cover the top of the glasses with a film so that dust does not get in. After seven days, we can see beautiful sugar crystal sticks. Very tasty!

Crystals of sodium chloride or table salt.

It is the second ingredient after sugar that every kitchen has. The only thing is, do not take “Extra” salt or iodized salt, waste your time. Crystals from this salt are not obtained. You can dissolve the salt at room temperature, you can heat the solution a little to speed up the dissolution, but do not boil, be sure to filter it. To give the solution color, you can also use food coloring, watercolor paints. Gouache cannot be used, the growth of crystals will stop.

So, we take a glass of water, dissolve the salt in it in small portions until the dissolution stops. Pour the solution into a glass jar and leave for a day. After a day, at the bottom, you will notice small crystals, select one of them with tweezers and tie it to a silk thread. So you got the so-called "seed" for growing a crystal.

Next, strain the solution again and remove any small crystals from the bottom. Dip the "seed" in the saline solution and begin to observe the growth of our crystal. On average, it will take two to three weeks to grow a small crystal. By the way, any object covered with frozen grains of salt can also act as a “seed”.

Copper sulphate crystals.

From this chemical reagent, excellent crystals are obtained. Copper sulfate or copper sulfate can be purchased at any gardening store. We take 70-100 grams of copper sulfate (enough for the first time), a glass jar, warm water. We fall asleep in a jar of vitriol and begin to slowly pour water until our ingredient stops dissolving. We filter the solution from any impurities and put it on the window. After a day, several crystals will fall out at the bottom, we take the largest ones, and filter the solution again.

The crystal was tied to a thread and hung up, the main thing is that it does not touch the walls and bottom of the jar. You can put the crystal on the bottom and turn it over for the first time and then tie it. As a result, bluish-blue crystals grow, the shape is a parallelogram.

Salt and copper sulphate crystals are very fragile. After you take them out of the solution, dry them with a towel, cover them with a colorless varnish. After that, they can be freely picked up and used for souvenirs and crafts.

What else can crystals be made from?

For example, calcium chloride. This well-known chemical is also sold in the gardening store. The crystals are in the shape of a parallelepiped, you can also add a dye. The next ingredient for growing crystals is iron sulfate. It is also found in gardening stores. With the addition of sulfuric acid, changing its concentration, crystals from iron sulfate can be obtained in various colors and shapes.

You can also use nickel vitriol, copper carbonate, aluminum-ammonium sulfate, aluminum-potassium sulfate, chromium-potassium sulfate, iron-ammonium sulfate, manganese sulfate (react only if there is an industrial hood or outdoors), zinc sulfate, sodium sulfate, sodium iodide. Almost all of these crystals quickly weather and turn into powder, so they are not very suitable for crafts.

But the crystals of ammonium dihydrogen phosphate is a completely different matter. They are very similar to rock crystal and if they are varnished, they will please the eye for a long time. Dihydrogen phosphate itself is sold in a fertilizer store and is not at all expensive.

Another very interesting form grows crystals from potassium sulfate. The shape is reminiscent of a large-cut diamond. Potassium sulfate is also sold at the gardening store, called potassium sulphate. You can not cover the crystal with varnish, it is stored well.

Very beautiful crystals are obtained from red blood salt and sulfur. Not bad crystals are obtained from citric acid, however, they are not stored for a long time.

Well, here, probably, is the entire list of substances that we know for making crystals.

What can be done from the grown crystals. How can I make money growing crystals.

That's the question of questions for which this article was written. The first thing that comes to mind is a set of a young chemist. Not just a kit, but a kit with detailed instructions for growing crystals attached on a disk. The main thing in this business is not to overcharge. Since many of the ingredients are sold in gardening stores and do not cost a lot of money.

Secondly, these are sets for adults. They are called "bank of desires", you grow crystals and make a wish. If he grows up, then he will come true, if he grows up small, then not the way he wanted. Well, if it doesn’t grow at all, then the answer is immediately known.

Third. Sugar sticks for owners of cafes and restaurants. They will be a pleasant surprise for customers and diversify children's leisure.

Fourth. This is the manufacture of various souvenirs, when growing crystals, you can use various beads, rings. Gluing crystals together will be especially beautiful if the colors of the crystals are slightly different shades. You can combine them with semi-precious stones, decorate with various cold porcelain products, etc.

And finally, the fifth. This is the cultivation of large crystals for custom gifts.

Ordinary table salt can be turned into an interesting art object, the process of creating which will be exciting for children and adults. Do not miss the unique opportunity, without leaving your home, to observe one of the natural phenomena - the formation of crystals.

Required fixtures and materials

We carefully prepare everything you need to grow a crystal from salt. Everyone in the house will always have everything you need for this job. It has been noticed that a larger crystal grows in a larger capacity, but in this case a lot of salt will be needed:

We take coarse and clean salt. Impurities in it are not permissible, as they will prevent the formation of crystals of the correct shape. You can use sea salt, despite the complex chemical composition.
It is better to use filtered or distilled water.
2 containers: made of glass to observe the process and to heat water on fire.
Stick (pencil, ruler, etc.).
Thread or thin copper wire.
Funnel.
Filter paper (gauze, cotton wool) is used to filter the solution.
Napkins.

Growing preparation

The higher the temperature, the more the substance dissolves in water. A seed is added to the resulting supersaturated solution, and upon cooling, the molecules adhere to it. Growth begins, depending on how much of the substance dissolved at high temperature and how much “precipitated” when it was lowered, for example: 2 g of sodium chloride compared to 50 g of copper sulfate.

Unlike other substances, the solubility of table salt is very high; when cooled, the sticking of the substance is minimal, but over time, more and more molecules are added and salt objects increase in size.

The instruction on how to make crystals from salt is quite simple and does not present any difficulty. We bring the water to 80-90 oC, remove from the stove. Gradually add salt (38 g per 100 g of water), constantly stirring, until it begins to dissolve more.

It turns out a supersaturated solution, the salt from which will easily crystallize when it is cooled. Lowering the temperature slowly gives the best result.

We place filter paper in the funnel and pour the contents into a glass container after 30-60 minutes. As a result, we remove all small crystals that can interfere with the main process, and get rid of impurities.

We make a notch on a stick for a more stable fixation. We tie one end of the thread (wire) to the notch. At the other end, we tie a knot or hang any small object on which the molecules will build up.

We lower the thread into the middle of the container. From the wire, you can make complex shapes that will become overgrown with crystals. In the photo of salt crystals, you can see a variety of different shapes, depending on the matrix seed.

crystallization process

We cover the top of the jar with a napkin: no foreign impurities should get into the water solution. We place it in a permanent place without temperature fluctuations and try not to move or shake it. Maintaining the same level in the liquid, periodically carefully add a saturated solution of sodium chloride.

Visible shifts are soon observed and after a month a small polycrystal can be seen. The longer it is in solution, the larger it becomes.

At the air-water interface, crystallization occurs more intensively. Variations in the movement of such a seed makes it possible to obtain salt "products" fairly quickly.

And how to make a single crystal from salt? Is it possible to? Experts say that a crystal close to the natural rectangular shape can be obtained quite simply.

In a package of table salt, we select a large crystal and put it on the bottom of the prepared saline solution. Sea salt, as a larger one, is even more suitable for these purposes. To speed up the process, it is transferred to a new saturated solution after a few days. They follow the shape and periodically scrape off excess sticking, trying to keep the shape.

You can see a single crystal much faster: individual crumb crystals appear at the border of air and water in a jar. Transparent, regular shape, they are clearly visible under a magnifying glass.

Coloring and storage

The resulting crystals are dried and coated with a colorless varnish for better preservation. Paint them with different color varnishes.

They will look aesthetically pleasing on a special podium, while being protected from destruction. No dyes are added to the saline solution, as they can only interfere with crystal formation.

The question is often asked: "Is it possible to get a crystal from salt in 1 day?". We hope that the above has already been answered. However, experiment, try, but remember how much time nature spends on growing its miracle!

Photo of salt crystals

Categories

Popular