The term "crystal" should be understood as a substance in which the smallest particles, atoms, are arranged in a certain order. They form a crystal lattice - a three-dimensionally periodic ordered spatial arrangement.
As a result of this, the crystals externally have the form of regular symmetric polyhedra. They can vary greatly in shape and have from four to several hundred faces that intersect at certain angles with each other.
Salt - a representative of the crystal family
One of such solids with an ordered symmetrical structure is ordinary salt.
It is a food product found in nature in the form of a mineral called halite. A large amount of it is found in
sea water and other salt sources. If you look at the grains of salt with a microscope or a magnifying glass, you will notice that they have flat faces. So, they are in a crystalline state. In this article, we will talk about how to make a crystal of salt yourself. In fact, it is not difficult. To understand how salt crystals form, that is, the crystallization process, we suggest you to carry out an interesting experiment at home. It is advisable for the child to perform it under the guidance of an adult. Remember that the shape of the salt crystal can be different, including cubic, prismatic or any other - more complex. Nevertheless, the faces of the
rock salt
crystal always intersect at right angles.
Let's talk about how to make a crystal of salt: the necessary supplies and tools
Well then, let's get to work. What materials and tools will we need to conduct this interesting experience? Of course, salt, water, transparent glass glasses, a rope or a thick thread, a wooden spatula. You should also prepare the ballpoint pen or ordinary pencil.
And most importantly - you need to be patient. The fact is that the crystallization process takes time - about three weeks. How to make a crystal of salt? Take a good salt, no impurities. It is advisable to purchase a product with a purity of at least 98%, otherwise the experience may not succeed. If the salt contains a large number of various impurities, then the copy will turn out ugly and will have flaws.
We begin to
grow crystals from salt by preparing a highly concentrated solution. Pour warm water (200 ml) into a glass or jar and start adding salt. Do not forget to constantly stir the liquid with a wooden spatula. This is necessary so that the salt dissolves well. After the solution is ready (this can be determined by the fact that the introduced salt has ceased to dissolve in a glass of water with ordinary stirring), the mixture should be heated. Fill the saucepan with water, put on fire, heat the water. Then carefully place a glass in it with concentrated saline and wait until it heats up.
We continue to work on the cultivation of beautiful salt crystals
Then we take out our glass glass from the pan and leave it alone.
On the ballpoint pen rod (pencil) we fix the thread to which we attach a small crystal of salt. Put the rod on a glass and immerse the rope with the seed in the solution. It is on this salt crystal that our beautiful exhibit will grow. That's all, now we can only wait. We place the glass in a warm place and monitor the crystallization process every day. In no case should you shake, turn or lift the container with the solution. Gradually, the crystal will grow and become large enough. When this happens, you can carefully remove it from the solution. We advise you to dry it with a napkin, but be extremely careful - your copy is very fragile. Cut the excess thread and coat the crystal with a clear varnish to extend its lifespan. Now you know how to get salt crystals at home. We hope that you will be able to repeat our simple experience.
Sea salt crystals : an experience to create a beautiful exhibit
If you want to grow large, even and beautiful samples - pay attention to the following experience. For work you will need such materials and tools:
- clear glass;
- water;
- sea salt;
- paper;
- napkin;
- wooden spatula;
- flat pebble of medium size.
The technology of the crystal growing process is as follows. First, pour not too hot water into the glass and start pouring sea salt into it, gradually, one teaspoon each. In this case, do not forget to interfere with the spatula. Salt must be added to the liquid until it stops dissolving. Now we take a napkin and filter the resulting solution through it. This is done so that the specks do not interfere with the formation of an even and beautiful pattern.
The process of creating large salt crystals
How to make a salt crystal: after filtration, put a small pebble in the solution (you can replace it with a nut) and set it to cool. Remember that the slower our salty liquid cools, the larger the crystals will be. It is advisable to cover the glass with paper and put it in a dark place, protected from drafts. After two or three days, you will see how your pebble will grow into small crystals. Carefully make sure that the solution completely covers the "seed" all the time. You should also weekly clean the liquid from dust and excess crystals that form at the bottom of the glass. As evaporation takes place, a highly concentrated saline solution must be added to the container . Keep it clean and cold (room temperature). In addition, it is necessary to periodically remove the crust that appears at the bottom of the tank. After two to three weeks, your crystal will reach approximately 2-3 cm in length. And in order to get a larger copy, it will take more time - about 6 weeks.
Correct salt crystals
Remember that you may not immediately get beautiful and even crystals. Any business needs practice. We advise you to carefully adjust the crystallization of the samples, removing not very beautiful growths. This can be done with a sharp knife, scraping them off. Also, using petroleum jelly, you can stop the formation of faces. If necessary, a layer of petroleum jelly can be removed from the sample with acetone. When your crystal grows to the desired size, you can carefully remove it from the solution. After that, gently wipe the edges with a napkin. You can cover the sample with hairspray: so your crystal will become less fragile, brittle and will retain its beautiful appearance for a long time.
Original crafts made from crystals of salt
At home, you can not only grow an ordinary salt crystal, but also make an interesting craft. To do this, you will need such tools and materials:
- water;
- salt;
- wire;
- threads
- filter paper;
- can - 2 pcs.;
- pan;
- wooden spatula.
We begin the work by dissolving the salt in water. We bring it into the liquid in small portions, adding the next only after the final dissolution of the previous one. When the salt ceases to dissolve, go to the next step. We take the pan, fill it with water and put the container on the stove on a small fire. We put a jar of saline into it. We follow the heating process. We continue to dissolve the salt, bringing the temperature to 65 degrees. That's it, turn off the gas, but until we take the can out of the pan. The fact is that temperature differences can cause glass containers to burst. After cooling the solution, you can safely get the jar out of the pan.
Solution Filtration and Crystallization
After that, we proceed to the purification of the solution from impurities. We take a clean jar and fasten filter paper on its neck. Now gently pour the solution into a new container. All undissolved salt crystals and impurities remain on filter paper. We get a clean solution. Now put the jar of liquid in a cool place and do the "seed". We take a copper wire and make any animal shape, flower, twig, asterisk out of it. Wrap the wire with thread. We place the workpiece in a jar with saline, cover the container with a napkin, leaving only a small gap. That's all, it remains only to wait until the salt crystals are grown. After the wire has grown, you can get it out of solution. This should be done very carefully, as salt crystals can break.