What materials do I need to grow crystals?

You need a glass or beaker, fishing line or thread, a popsicle stick, a coffee filter, boiling water, and alum.

How long does it take for crystals to form?

It can take a few hours to a few days for the initial seed crystal to form.

What is the role of temperature in crystallization?

Higher temperatures increase solubility, allowing more alum to dissolve, creating a supersaturated solution. As it cools, the solubility decreases, causing the alum to crystallize.

Can I use any type of alum for this experiment?

Yes, cooking alum available in grocery stores is suitable for this experiment.

Is it safe to grow crystals at home?

Yes, the materials used are not particularly dangerous, but it's advised to wear protective gear like a lab coat and goggles.

Why do we need a seed crystal?

A seed crystal provides a surface for alum molecules to attach, fostering the growth of a larger crystal.

How do I ensure the crystal does not touch the bottom or sides of the solution?

Suspend the crystal in the middle of the solution using a popsicle stick.

What should I do if crystals form on the bottom of the glass?

Reheat the solution and dissolve the crystals again, optionally adding more alum to encourage further growth around the seed crystal.

The Sci Guys: Science at Home - SE1 - EP6: Crystallization of Alum - How to Grow Alum Crystals

00:05:35

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojpCexbhxdU

Summary

TLDRIn this episode of the 'S Guys,' Ryan and Adam guide viewers through the process of growing crystals at home. They explain crystallization, where a solid crystal precipitate forms from a solution. Required materials include a glass or beaker, fishing line, a popsicle stick, and alum, a common pickling ingredient. The experiment involves dissolving alum in boiling water, allowing a seed crystal to form over time, then suspending this seed in a saturated solution to grow into a larger crystal. The concept of solubility plays a crucial role, as it changes with temperature, affecting crystal formation. The hosts encourage viewers to submit their experiment results and seek advice if they face challenges in their scientific pursuits.

Takeaways

🧪 Learn how to grow a crystal using alum and hot water.
👨‍🔬 Wear safety gear like goggles for protection.
🌡️ Temperature affects the solubility of substances.
🔍 Seed crystals help in forming larger crystal structures.
💡 Solubility decreases as the solution cools, leading to crystallization.
🧩 Different substances form crystals of different shapes.
📈 Super saturated solutions facilitate crystal growth.
🔄 Repeat heating and cooling for optimal crystal growth.
🧠 Science experiments can be done at home safely.
📸 Share your experiment results by submitting videos.

Timeline

00:00:00 - 00:05:35
In this segment, Ryan and Adam, the hosts of S Guys, introduce the concept of crystallization, which can occur naturally or artificially to form a solid crystalline precipitate from a solution or melted substance. They outline the materials needed to grow crystals at home, including a glass or beaker, fishing line or thread, a popsicle stick, a coffee filter, boiling water, and alum. They begin the experiment by creating starter crystals from a solution of hot water and alum, emphasizing safety with lab coats and goggles. The process involves dissolving alum in hot water until saturation, covering the solution to cool, and using the formed seed crystals to grow larger crystals.

Mind Map

Video Q&A

What materials do I need to grow crystals?
You need a glass or beaker, fishing line or thread, a popsicle stick, a coffee filter, boiling water, and alum.
How long does it take for crystals to form?
It can take a few hours to a few days for the initial seed crystal to form.
What is the role of temperature in crystallization?
Higher temperatures increase solubility, allowing more alum to dissolve, creating a supersaturated solution. As it cools, the solubility decreases, causing the alum to crystallize.
Can I use any type of alum for this experiment?
Yes, cooking alum available in grocery stores is suitable for this experiment.
Is it safe to grow crystals at home?
Yes, the materials used are not particularly dangerous, but it's advised to wear protective gear like a lab coat and goggles.
Why do we need a seed crystal?
A seed crystal provides a surface for alum molecules to attach, fostering the growth of a larger crystal.
How do I ensure the crystal does not touch the bottom or sides of the solution?
Suspend the crystal in the middle of the solution using a popsicle stick.
What should I do if crystals form on the bottom of the glass?
Reheat the solution and dissolve the crystals again, optionally adding more alum to encourage further growth around the seed crystal.

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Subtitles

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00:00:00
today on S guys
00:00:15
crystallization hey I'm Ryan I'm Adam
00:00:17
and we're the S guys on today's episode
00:00:19
we're going to be showing you how to
00:00:20
grow your own Crystal you require
00:00:22
additional pilot yes commander I shall
00:00:23
obey who are you talking to No One
00:00:27
crystallization is a natural or
00:00:28
artificial process of forming a solid
00:00:31
crystalline precipitate out of a
00:00:33
solution or melted substance the
00:00:35
equipment you're going to need for this
00:00:36
experiment is a glass or Beaker some
00:00:39
fishing light or thread a popsicle stick
00:00:42
a coffee filter and the only ingredients
00:00:44
you're going to need are boiling water
00:00:46
and Alum Alum is used for pickling and
00:00:48
you can find it in your local grocery
00:00:49
store so although we're not dealing with
00:00:51
anything particularly dangerous today
00:00:53
it's still a good idea to wear your lab
00:00:54
coat and goggles to protect against
00:00:56
spills and splashes the first step is to
00:00:59
create some starter CST seeds which will
00:01:01
act as the starting point where our
00:01:02
larger crystals will grow from Begin by
00:01:05
filling your glass half full of hot
00:01:13
water next add a bunch of Alum to your
00:01:21
water stir Your solution until all the
00:01:24
Alum has been dissolved into the
00:01:27
water continue to add small portions of
00:01:30
Alum to your water and mix it in until
00:01:32
the Alum stops dissolving in the water
00:01:34
this will be apparent when some of the
00:01:36
alum powder remains at the bottom of the
00:01:39
glass place a paper towel or coffee
00:01:42
filter over the glass and leave it in a
00:01:44
room or cupboard where it won't be
00:01:46
disturbed so it can cool let the glass
00:01:48
sit until you have a large enough seed
00:01:50
Crystal at the bottom of the glass to
00:01:52
tie a fishing line around this process
00:01:55
can take a few hours or up to a few days
00:01:57
to
00:01:58
complete once you think you have a large
00:02:00
enough seed Crystal pour the liquid into
00:02:02
a new cup and remove the largest seed
00:02:04
Crystal take your seed Crystal and
00:02:07
tightly tie the fishing line around it
00:02:09
be careful not to break your seed
00:02:10
Crystal tie the other end of your
00:02:12
fishing line around the popsicle
00:02:15
stick reheat Your solution in a
00:02:18
microwave then add all the extra
00:02:21
crystals back into the hot water and mix
00:02:23
it until all the crystals have been
00:02:24
dissolved rest the popsicle stick across
00:02:27
the top of the glass so that the crystal
00:02:29
is in the middle mid of the liquid and
00:02:30
not touching the bottom or any of the
00:02:32
sides leave your Crystal to grow a few
00:02:34
days after a few days if there are
00:02:37
crystals accumulating on the bottom of
00:02:38
the glass remove your large Crystal that
00:02:40
is attached to the stick from your
00:02:42
solution reheat Your solution in the
00:02:44
microwave and stir it until all the
00:02:46
crystals have been dissolved you can add
00:02:49
any extra Alum you have at this stage to
00:02:51
increase how large your Crystal will
00:02:53
grow repeat this step until there are no
00:02:55
more crystals growing on the bottom of
00:02:57
your glass once you're done growing your
00:02:59
crystals remove it from the water let it
00:03:01
dry and you will now have your very own
00:03:04
Alum Crystal formation let's look at
00:03:06
this experiment a little closer all
00:03:08
liquids have a set solubility to a
00:03:10
specific substance at room temperature
00:03:13
some liquids have high solubilities
00:03:15
others have low solubilities solubility
00:03:18
is the amount of a particular substance
00:03:20
that can be dissolved into a specific
00:03:21
liquid as the temperature of a liquid
00:03:24
increases the solubility also increases
00:03:27
in our experiment our water's
00:03:28
temperature is much higher than room
00:03:31
temperature this means that the amount
00:03:33
of Alum we can dissolve into the water
00:03:35
is much greater than if the water was at
00:03:37
room temperature this creates a super
00:03:40
saturated solution super saturated
00:03:42
Solutions are solutions that have a
00:03:44
higher solubility than what the liquid
00:03:46
could normally handle when we leave our
00:03:48
Solution on the Shelf the temperature of
00:03:51
our solution slowly drops back down to
00:03:53
room temperature as the temperature
00:03:55
drops the maximum solubility of the
00:03:57
water drops as well this leads to our
00:03:59
solution releasing molecules of Alum and
00:04:02
these molecules form a solid precipitate
00:04:05
as our solution gets cooler and cooler
00:04:06
it releases more and more Alum
00:04:09
molecules these Alum molecules
00:04:12
accumulate at the bottom of our glass
00:04:13
and create Crystal formations the thing
00:04:15
about Alum molecules is that they would
00:04:18
rather attach to an existing Alum
00:04:19
molecule or Crystal formation rather
00:04:22
than starting a new one this is proven
00:04:24
when we add our seed Crystal to our warm
00:04:26
solution and as the solution cools the
00:04:28
precipitated Alum molecules attached to
00:04:31
the seed Crystal over and over again to
00:04:33
create a large Crystal formation this
00:04:36
process is called crystallization the
00:04:38
shape of the crystal is specific to the
00:04:40
substance different substances like
00:04:42
sugar or salt will create Crystal
00:04:43
formations of different shapes we will
00:04:46
be exploring the shapes of different
00:04:47
Crystal substances and how to create
00:04:50
them in future
00:04:52
episodes so that was how to grow your
00:04:53
own Crystals at home using
00:04:55
crystallization I hope you enjoyed it
00:04:56
and remember to comment and subscribe
00:04:58
Down Below on YouTube YouTube and make
00:05:00
sure to follow us on Facebook and
00:05:01
Twitter for all the science news you
00:05:03
like and if you have any questions
00:05:05
related to this experiment or if you're
00:05:06
having trouble in school with science
00:05:08
feel free to ask us any question you
00:05:10
want and we'll be more than happy to
00:05:11
help you answer it thanks for watching
00:05:13
thanks bye the commander will be
00:05:16
pleased here at SAU we're always curious
00:05:19
how experiments turn out so if you do
00:05:21
these experiments at home record them
00:05:23
and submit them to us as a video reply
00:05:25
to this video but remember always get
00:05:28
your parents permission before you
00:05:29
submit any videos to YouTube