Crystal Lab

During this lab, a crystal was supposed to be grown. However, I grew a monster. Instead of removing the crystal a couple hours later, I accidentally left it in all weekend. The following Monday when I returned, the crystal had become a huge mess that looked very similar to a volcano that had just erupted. Ironically, the crystal that was mad was red which furthered the volcano resemblance. Anyways, on to the lab!

To start off with, a beaker was filled with 100 ml of water. Then, 526.66 grams total of Aluminum Potassium Sulfate. Of course, this was not added at the same time. The Aluminum Potassium Sulfate was added in portions and stirred up before more was to be added to the water.  Once the water was completely saturated, it was time to move on. For anybody who doesn’t know, saturation is the point in which a solution can no longer dissolve the substance being added to it (i.e. it is “full”). While on the topic, unsaturated refers to the point in which a solute can be dissolved into the solution at any given temperature.

After the water was saturated, the beaker was left to cool. Then, little seed crystals were formed over night. This was what was intended for the crystal to grow on. The seed crystal was tied onto a string and hung in another beaker of water. Once again, the water had to be saturated. After the wait, we discovered our volcano. I really wish I had taken a picture of it, but I didn’t get one. However, here is an example of how the crystal was supposed to grow.