Aim: To learn about a saturated solution and how to make crystals!
Definition of solution:
A liquid mixture, when something is dissolved into a liquid (eg: sugar in water)
Definition of saturated:
Having or holding as much as can be absorbed of something (when no more sugar or borax can be dissolved into the water)
In groups of three you will make three different types of crystals and compare the results.
Ratio; 3 Tablespoons Borax per 1/2 cup water
Materials
1)Borax
2)Water
3)Cup
4)Stir stick
5)Pipe cleaner
Process
Step 1: Get 1 table spoon of borax
Step 2: mix it in with water until saturated
Step 3: get pipe cleaner and shape it into a star
Step 4: clip the star into peg
Step 5:put the peg/pipe cleaner into the borax
Step 6:wait over night or a few nights and see what happens.
Sugar Crystals
Materials
1) Sugar
2)Cup
3) Popsicle stick
4)water
5) String
Process
Step 1) Add 1 cup sugar.
Step 2)Get 1/2 cup water.
Step 3)Mix until saturated .
Step 4)Tye string onto Popsicle stick.
Step 5) leave overnight.
Ratio: 4 Tablespoons salt to 1/2 cup water
Materials
1)Salt
2) Water
3) Cup
4) String
5) Popsicle stick
Process
Step 1: Add salt.
Step 2: Add water.
Step 3: Mix well until saturated.
Step 4: Tye string onto stick and dip in water then salt.
Step 5: Put the salt string into the cup.
Step 6: Wait over a night or 2 and see how it turns out.
Findings
Describe your crystals in the table below.
Crystal Type
|
Shape
(Describe the shape) |
Size
(of individual crystals) |
Hardness
(Crumbly to Rock Hard) |
Borax
| |||
Sugar
| |||
Salt
|
What crystals worked out best and why?:
Conclusion:
________________________________________________________________________
Conclusion:
________________________________________________________________________
After watching the videos as a class, explain how the following crystals are formed:
Type
|
Explanation
|
Salt
|
As the water evaporates from the solution, the Na and Cl atoms begin to bond together, first as single molecules and then the molecules bond together, forming crystals. Every molecule will form the same shape crystal each time it forms. The crystal shape for salt is a cube.
|
Sugar
|
Sugar crystals are created through processes called crystallization and supersaturation. There is an excess amount of sugar in the sugar vs. water ratio.
|
Snowflakes
|
snowflake begins to form when an extremely cold water droplet freezes onto a pollen or dust particle in the sky. This creates an ice crystal. As the ice crystal falls to the ground, water vapor freezes onto the crystal building new crystals.
|
CRYSTAL TYPES
AIM: TO LOOK AT THE 7 DIFFERENT TYPES OF CRYSTALS
 |
| Salt Crystals |
| Sugar Crystals |
 |
| Borax Crystals |
7 different crystal shapes
The 7 types of crystals
Type
|
Number of sides
|
2 examples
|
Image
|
Triclinic
| 7 | Turquoise Rhodonite |  |
Monoclinic
| 12 | mica, gypsum |  |
Orthombic
| 6 | sulfur, topaz |  |
Trigonal
| 10 | Iliminite, Cerite |  |
Hexagonal
| 8 | quartz, calcite |  |
Cubic
| 6 | Diamond, iron |  |
Tetragonal
| 16 | zircon, rutile |  |
