Crazy Crystal Creations

Crazy Crystal Creations Problem/Question Does temperature affect how crystals grow?

Why does slower cooking result in purer crystals?

How do you make a saturated solution?

How do crystals form? Hypothesis I predict that the crystals will grow better in a warmer environment becasue particals, like bacteria, grow and move faster than in colder temperatures, where particles grow slower. Procedure Materials Large Bowl
Ice
Water
Thermometer
String
Scissors
Pencils
Large Drinking Glasses
Pot w/ lid
Borax
Tablespoon
Plastic Wrap 1. Boil water, after it has boiled put table spoons of borax until it is no longer soluable. ( this ended up to be 19 tbs)

2.Put the boild water into 3 glasses (about 3/4 full)

3. Place one cup in a bowl of ice, on the counter, and in the frige.

4. Each cup should have a pencil on top if it, with a string hanging down into the solution. And on top of that, palstic wrap. Example

5. Leave in frige, room temp., or ice bath for 17 hours. (This time can be changed as long as it is over 5 hours. RESULTS Test 1 Test 2 Test 3 In test 1, the refrigerator and the room temperature crystals grew about the same crystals. The icebath crystals created barley anything compared to the others. In test 2, the ice bath crystals grew the most crystals. But all 3 temperatures grew a lot less than trial 1. In test 3, the room temperature crystals grew the most crystals. The ice bath and refrigerator did not grow anything. Refrigerator Room
Temp Ice
Bath How did the Crystals grow? Hot water holds more borax crystals than cold water. That's because heated water molecules move farther apart, making room for more of the borax crystals to dissolve. When no more of the solution can be dissolved, you have reached saturation. As this solution cools, the water molecules move closer together again. Now there's less room for the solution to hold onto as much of the dissolved borax. Crystals begin to form and build on one another as the water lets go of the excess and evaporates. Conculsion My hypothesis was supported by the data for test one and three. With a warmer environment, crystals will grow better.