Jayna Palumbo, Andria Rhodes, Elizabeth Goetz, Nicole Twichell

Ms. Miller

Honors Chemistry

4 April 2018

Crystal Structure/Crystal Making

Research:
How crystals are formed: Crystals are formed by a process called nucleation. Nucleation can
form through a process called through two processes unassisted nucleation and assisted
nucleation. Assisted nucleation is when a solid is used for molecules to meet.
When Borax is mixed with water they create a suspension. The suspension that is made is filled
with large particles that makes the water turn into a cloudy liquid. Once the borax settles out of
the suspension, "it bonds with the other borax on nucleation sites and begins to form seeds for
further crystallization"(“Borax Crystal Ornaments”).
When Epsom Salts or magnesium sulfate are mixed with hot water they create a solution. One
the water evaporates then the Epsom salts are left behind and the crystals form. "The temperature
of the water determines how much magnesium sulfate it can hold; it will dissolve more when it is
hotter...As the solution cools, the magnesium sulfate atoms run into each other and join in a
crystal structure"(“How To Make Fast Growing Crystals”).
When sugar is added with hot water, it becomes a saturated solution. "The water molecules bind
to the sucrose molecules; and second, the water molecules pull the sucrose molecules away from
the crystal and into the solution"(Husband).
Question:
Which substance: Borax, Epsom salts, or sugar forms the heaviest crystal after 24 hours?
Hypothesis:
If Borax, Epsom salts, and sugar are used to create crystals, then the borax will create the
heaviest crystal. Borax will create the heaviest crystals because it is a chemical used in many
other areas and it should not be consumed. Epsom salts and sugar can both be consumed and
since it can be consumed we believe it will not form the heaviest crystals.
Materials:
 44 milliliters Borax
 237 milliliters Epsom salts
 450 milliliters Sugar
 Six Plastic cups
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 Three Pipe cleaners

 Electronic balance
 Three wooden sticks
 1184 milliliters of Water
 Three hot plates
 Three Beakers
Procedure:
1. Collect materials
2. Bend all three pipe cleaners into a circular shape
3. Tie pipe cleaner around the popsicle stick
4. Label each popsicle stick from one to three for each substance
5. Measure each combination of pipe cleaner and popsicle stick
6. Begin heating two separate beakers of 237 milliliters and one beaker of 710 milliliters
7. Once one of the beakers with 237 milliliters of water begins to boil, add 44 milliliters of
Borax
8. Mix the Borax into the water until completely dissolved
9. Pour solution into a cup labeled "Borax"
10. Place stick with pipe cleaner into solution
11. Using the other beaker with 237 milliliters of boiled water, add 237 milliliters of Epsom
salts
12. Mix the Epsom salts into the water until completely dissolved
13. Pour solution into a cup labeled "Epsom Salts"
14. Place stick with pipe cleaner into solution
15. Using the final beaker of 710 milliliters of boiled water, add 450 milliliters of sugar
16. Mix the sugar into the water until completely dissolved
17. Pour solution into a cup labeled "Sugar"
18. Place stick with pipe cleaner into solution
19. Leave cups containing each solution in a space where they will not be knocked over
20. After 24 hours, take each pipe cleaner and stick out of the cups with the solution and
place in an empty cup to dry
21. Once each pipe cleaner is dry, measure the mass of each, in grams.
22. Subtract the final mass by the initial mass to find the mass of each different type of
crystal
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Data:

Crystal Lab Pipe Cleaners Pipe Cleaners After Final Mass of

Measurements Before Solution Soultion Crystals
Borax 1.19 g 7.92 g 6.73 g
Epsom Salts 1.16 g 8.91 g 7.75 g
Sugar 1.26 g 4.44 g 3.18 g

Analysis:
The hypothesis is not supported; our results and data conclude that Epsom Salts created the most
crystals over 24 hours. Regardless that Borax cannot be consumed, Epsom salts still significantly
produced the most crystals.
The data and graph specify the measurement in grams of the pipe cleaners before crystallization,
after crystallization, and the weight of the crystals. It can be observed that all three pipe cleaners
had slightly different weights. Regardless, the results were drastic enough that this could not
majorly affect them. It can be concluded from the data and graph that Epsom Salts grew the most
crystals with 7.75g. Borax resulted in 6.73 grams of crystals and Sugar only 3.18 grams.
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The average of the pipe cleaners before solution is 1.20g, average weight of pipe cleaners after
solution is 7.09g, and the average mass of the crystals is 5.89g.
Source of error would be not having a big enough beaker to test the sugar. The amount of water
and sugar added to the beaker resulted in it being almost completely filled. This could have been
a source of error because unlike Epsom Salts and Borax, the sugar did not have as much room in
the cup to grow crystals.
Before conducting this experiment, the scientist tried the experiment using the same amount of
Borax, Epsom Salts, and Sugar to grow the crystals. It was learned that our results were negative
because the substances have different densities. This caused some not to grow crystals at all
because not enough Borax, Epsom Salts, or Sugar was added to the water.

Conclusion:
In our lab we conducted an experiment that would show what substance would grow the heaviest
crystals. In the lab we used three different substances; Borax, Epsom Salts, and Sugar. When
starting the lab, we gathered all our materials. We got three separate beakers and filled them with
water. In the first beaker, the one that belonged to Borax, we filled it up to 236 milliliters of
water. We put the beaker on the hotplate that was set on high, and let it boil. For the second
beaker, the one that belonged to Epsom Salts, we filled it up to 120 milliliters of water. We put
the second beaker on the hotplate that was also set on high, and let it boil. For the last beaker, the
one that belonged to Sugar, we filled it up to 710 milliliters of water. We put the last beaker on
the hotplate that was set on high, and let it boil.
While the beakers were boiling on the hotplates we went to get the other materials. We needed to
gather three plastic cups, three pipe cleaners, three wooden sticks, and a scale. The first thing we
did was tie the pipe cleaners around the wooden sticks. Having the pipe cleaners around the
wooden sticks allows the crystals to form onto the pipe cleaner, and the stick holds the pipe
cleaner in the middle of the cup. After we made the three sticks with pipe cleaners attached to it,
we weighed each one separately. After we recorded the weight on all three pipe cleaners, we put
the pipe cleaners into the cup. We then went to collect the substances to add into the waters. We
collected 44 milliliters of Borax, 120 milliliters of Epsom Salts, and 450 milliliters of Sugar.
Once the water in the beakers were boiling, we poured the ingredients into the beakers. When
pouring the substances in, we poured them in little by little and continued stirring while pouring.
Once the substances were mixed in with the water, we poured the mixed substances into the
plastic cups.
We moved the three cups filled with the water, substance, and pipe cleaner over to the side of the
room, so no one could knock the cups over. We left the substances in the cups for 24 hours. After
24 hours we removed the pipe cleaners from the liquid and let them dry. Once the pipe cleaners
were dried, we weighed the pipe cleaners with the crystals attached to them. After we recorded
our data, we drained the cups with the excess substances and kept the crystals.
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After we recorded our data, we found our hypothesis was incorrect. We thought that the Borax
solution would form the heaviest crystals because that is a chemical used to form other
substances and is used for various household tasks. The solution that formed the heaviest crystals
was the Epsom Salts.
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Works Cited:
“Borax Crystal Ornaments.” Steve Spangler Science, Steve Spangler Science,
www.stevespanglerscience.com/lab/experiments/magic-crystal-snowflake/.
“Crystal Snowflake.” Martha Stewart, Martha Stewart, 11 Dec. 2014,
www.marthastewart.com/269342/crystal-snowflake.

“Epsom Salt Crystal Painting.” Ingridscience.ca, www.ingridscience.ca/node/98.

Helmenstine, Anne Marie. “3 Tips for Growing the Biggest (Edible) Sugar Crystals.”
ThoughtCo, 17 Mar. 2018, www.thoughtco.com/sugar-crystal-growing-problems-
607655.
“How Do Crystals Forms and How Do They Grow?” Kiwi Web: Chemistry & New Zealand, HA
Campell 1998-2011, www.chemistry.co.nz/crystals_forming.htm.

“How To Make Fast Growing Crystals.” Home Science Tools, Home Science Tools, 14 Mar.
2018, learning-center.homesciencetools.com/article/make-fast-growing-crystals/.
Husband, Tom. “The Sweet Science of Candymaking.” American Chemical Society, American
Chemical Society, Mar. 2014,
www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-
issues/archive-2014-2015/candymaking.html.
“Science Project: Make Your Own Crystals.” Kidzworld, www.kidzworld.com/article/26598-
make-your-own-crystals.
“Solubility Science: How to Grow the Best Crystals.” Scientific American, 2018 SCIENTIFIC
AMERICAN, A DIVISION OF NATURE AMERICA, INC., 2 May 2013,
www.scientificamerican.com/article/bring-science-home-crystals/.