Growing crystals (for children and adults). Equipment, kits

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

When a child has already matured, along with pride comes the realization that it is more and more difficult to interest, surprise and seriously captivate him with something. There is, however, a way that many people forget, but such a pastime will be remembered for a lifetime. "What is this game?" the reader will ask. Nothing complicated and expensive, just show your child what it is to grow crystals. For children, this lesson will be a colossal discovery. After all, this is the creation of amazing things with your own hands, which takes place literally before your eyes!

What is a crystal?

The answer to this question is simple in a book version: it is an ordered structure of a solid. It seems to be nothing complicated, but it is much easier to understand the appearance of this miracle of nature from your own experience. Although in fact we see the growth of crystals every winter. For children, there is nothing more interesting than how snowflakes appear and a beautiful pattern on the window. And in factit's all crystals too! They appear with a gradual decrease in water temperature, moisture particles are attracted and form beautiful crystals. After thinking, the child will certainly be interested in where else he can see a similar phenomenon. Then s alt and sugar will come to the rescue. Their small grains are also crystals. And my mother's precious box, on which there are various stones. It doesn't matter, artificial rhinestones or natural precious minerals. It is they who will help show the child all the perfection of the lines, as well as inspire to create such beauty. Moreover, the equipment for growing crystals is in every home, and the reagents are in the kitchen.

Is it impossible to grow a crystal at home?

Maybe! To do this, you need to prepare a container in which it is convenient to create a solution. It is best to use a saucepan or other metal utensils suitable for heating. You will also need an ordinary spoon for stirring the solution, a narrow deep container in which crystals will be grown at home. It can be a flask, a jar, a large glass or a transparent vase. In addition, you need to stock up on a piece of thread (nylon made of polyester) and a jumper stick, on which the crystal will be hung. For these purposes, a pencil or pen will do. The base of the crystal will be a ready-made small pebble, you need to worry about its presence in advance.

What can you create a crystal from at home?

Crystal can be grown fromregular kitchen s alt. This option is the simplest, does not require additional costs and time to go to a chemical store for a reagent. Growing crystals from blue vitriol requires the constant presence of parents, it is best to conduct such an experiment only under the guidance of adults. But the use of sugar syrup and the cultivation of crystals for children from this delicious product will become a doubly pleasant process. Having admired the result enough, you can eat it and start working again.

This is probably very difficult and long…

There is nothing difficult in the process itself. The instruction for growing crystals consists of the following steps:

• preparation of equipment and reagents;
• creating a supersaturated saline solution;
• setting the base for the crystal in the container;
• creating a new solution and moving the finished crystal into it;
• enjoying the result of the experience.

The basis of a beautiful crystal - the right composition for the solution

To create a transparent, like a tear, crystal, it is best to use distilled water. Its advantage is that it is industrially purified from s alt impurities that can disrupt the structure of the finished mineral. But plain tap water will also work, it can be pre-cleaned with a household filter.

S alt dissolves in water in several passes. Water heating up to 50 degrees and constantmaintaining this temperature will greatly facilitate the process of s alt dissolution. After each addition of the reagent, let it stand for several minutes and then mix thoroughly. S alt should be poured into the water until it ceases to dissolve and begins to settle at the bottom. Now the s alt water needs to be cleaned of particles of debris and dirt that fall into the s alt, for this it is enough to strain it through cheesecloth or cotton cloth into a clean container in which the crystal will grow.

Seed bookmark

Growing crystals for children is interesting precisely by the process itself, so the next step can be safely entrusted to a young chemist. For the base, you can take a beautiful pebble, a rhinestone, or just a large and even s alt crystal. The shape of the future mineral will depend on how it is installed in a saline solution. The seed laid on the bottom of the container will grow upwards, while its bottom will remain flat, and if you hang it on a thread tied through a jumper and leave it in this position, it will attract s alt particles from all sides - and the resulting the crystal can be unique and bizarre in shape.

The container should be tightly covered and put in a dark place, preferably in a closet, for several days. Such a substance is very sensitive to drafts, vibrations and temperature changes, so it is important to ensure stable environmental performance.

Crystal in a couple of days

In a few days it will be possible to see the first results, the crystal will grow little by little, but so that this process does not stop,you need to change the solution, because the old one has already given up a significant part of the s alt. The crystal must be given time to reach a significant size. Most often it is three to four weeks, but the result is worth it.

Crystals from copper sulfate

If you feel reluctant to wait that long or want to try something new, you can try growing crystals from copper sulfate. Before starting work, you need to explain to the child that this substance is very toxic and you can only work with it with gloves, if the solution gets on the skin, mucous membranes or is accidentally swallowed, urgent measures must be taken.

While the quality of water plays a mediocre role for s alt crystals, growing crystals from copper sulphate requires only distilled water. Vitriol very easily and quickly reacts with other chemical elements, and tap water is not perfectly clean and transparent. You also need to thoroughly wash the container in which the composition will be stirred, and it is best to pour boiling water over it. This once again indicates that parents should engage in such experiments together with the child. All subsequent actions do not differ from the previous method, but the result will not be long in coming. The first grains are formed after a couple of hours.

Should I buy ready-made kits?

When there is no desire or opportunity to engage in the selection of containers and materials for the manufacture of natural beauties, you can always use ready-made kits. Moreover, buya crystal growing kit is available at any toy store, stationery store, or speci alty retailer.

These kits differ from each other, first of all, in the composition of the reagents and the seed. It is already included in the set and can be not only in the form of a small stone, but also in the form of a heart, an animal, a butterfly, a flower, or even a tree trunk. The kits contain all the necessary equipment for growing crystals, and colored additives mixed with sodium chloride or copper sulfate will help create a colored mineral, making it more attractive.

Prices for sets are very affordable, it all depends on the level of complexity. The simplest one can be purchased for up to 300 rubles, samples for growing a large regular-shaped crystal will cost more - from 500 to 800 rubles. A crystal growing kit can be a great gift for any occasion, and if your child enjoys this experience, a large selection of kits will help create a unique collection of minerals that will decorate any home.

Chemistry experiments are not only fun

Modern children are sometimes difficult to distract from computer fun, and even more so to interest them in science. But, as practice shows, this state of affairs can and should be corrected by offering a really worthwhile occupation. And what could be better than a real chemical experiment? Growing crystals may be the first step to great discoveries!