Crystal Growth

Crystal Growth

I’m interested in crystal growth. Crystal growth has fascinated me sinceI was little. I never had a chance to grow crystals so this is very exciting for me. I will be experimenting with size and time. I will make one crystal larger than the other and see if it takes longer to grow. I hope you enjoy my paper.My project is about the size characteristic of crystals. In my project I will make one crystal bigger than the other. I will find out which one takes longer to grow. I will not add coloring to mine for it might affect it. The type of crystal I will be growing is made of borax. Borax has been around since the 8th century. One of the many older uses for borax is sink cleaning. Now we use borax for slime, crystals, laundry detergent, and many other things.

To grow these crystals you will need white pipe cleaners, water, borax, thread or string, chopsticks, borax, food coloring (optional), measuring spoon, and a clear, heat proof container/beaker. First take three pipe cleaners and twist them into a coil. Next, tie a piece of thread to your coil, and tie the thread to a chopstick. Then, get the beaker or glass container and pour water into it. Bring the water to a boil after you add borax. I would suggest nine tablespoons of borax for 3 cups of water. If you want the crystals to be colored add food coloring now. Put the coil in the water where the ends of the chopsticks are on the outside. Cover the top of the beaker with some cardboard and wait. I would wait overnight or for at least eight hours. After time has passed take the coil out and you should have a borax crystal.

Crystals are solid materials in which molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern. Crystals come in many different shapes. For example a slender, radiating, crystal is called a acicular crystal. Rounded, kidney like nodules are called reniform crystals. The thin, layered sheets of a crystal are called lamellar. The columns of terminated crystals are called prismatic crystals . The definition of prismatic is it has the form of a prism. The branching, plant like growth is known as dendritics. (Anna S.Sofiandes and George E.Harlow)A goniometer measures angles between the faces of a crystal. Each crystalface is unique in its own way, but the same crystal will have the same face. They are all in different angles. One could be a 90 degree angle and the other could be a 73 degree angle. (Anna S.Sofiandes And George E.Harlow)

The growth of crystals can go one way or the other. For example one crystal can be perfectly fine but the other not so much. Even if you used the same recipe. Why is that? You might have accidentally made one of the cups with water too cold, or you took them out too late or early. Crystal growth can be very simple if you follow the directions.Crystals can vary in size. The largest crystal is 12m (39 ft) in length and 4m (13 ft) in diameter. While the smallest crystal might be at your house in the winter, an ice crystal. An ice crystal is also known as a snowflake, it is the smallest crystal. Every snowflake or ice crystal is unique. God made each and every one special. (Anna S.Sofiandes and George E.Harlow)

Did you know you can eat crystals? Table salt, yes table salt is a crystal. You can find crystals in sugar, salt, chocolate, toothpaste, and chewing gum. Crystals are also inside computers, but you can only see them through a microscope. Salt crystals form when water evaporates and causes the NA and CL atoms to stick together. People get table salt from underground. They process it over and over again to eliminate minerals. Sugar is formed from nature. In nature sugar is found in sugar cane. You can also have sugar crystals. Sugar crystals are formed when water evaporates and the molecules come out of the solution and form around the crystal seed.

There are seven main crystal shapes. These are called lattices. They are Cubic, Trigonal, Triclinic, Orthorhombic, Hexagonal, Tetragonal, and Monoclinic. There are many more shapes but these are the most common. An Orthorhombic crystal occurs when there are three unequal axes that are at right angles to each other. A hexagonal crystal has two equal axes at an angle of 120 degrees. Have you ever wondered what the name crystal means? Well it comes from the Greek language. In English it means “ice”. You might be wondering why does it mean ice. It means ice because of their clear, shimmery, appearance . The name crystal has been around since the 19th century.

In ancient times crystals were used for many things. Here are a few of the many uses. The first use starts way back in the Sumerian time period. They used crystals in magic formulas and for jewelry. They used lapis lazuli, turquoise, carnelian, emerald, and clear quartz in their jewelry. During the Renaissance they used crystals for healing purposes. Crystal healing is when you place different gems on the body to pull out negative energy. Some places still use crystal healing today. Places like Mexico, and some people in the USA still believe in crystal healing.

Crystal healing practices use many different crystals. Some of them are Rose,Quartz, Lapis Lazuli, Amethyst, Citrine, Fluorite, Quartz, Desert Flower, and many others. Rose Quartz is the crystal of unconditional love, It is also the crystal of heart. Quartz is thought to simulate the brain function to increase awareness and other things. The Desert Flower is used for mental clarity. The word clarity means clear. It is often used in meditation to clear and help the brain. Another crystal is called Celestine. Celestine is used for calming and balancing.