chemistry help: do you have to let a sugar solution evaporate in order to grow crystals? - Help.com

Why do you want to grow crystals?

If you are making drugs, it’s illegal. So, sorry you are not going to get help here.

Reported.

I have a science fair project to do, didn’t want to but it’s a grade and i thought growing crystals would be fun.

well the sugar crystals are already there but you can’t see them because the water’s there.

i don’t think its for drugs lol…

so yes, for the sugar to clump together, the water must evaporate. salt works too, and it looks different.

Sorry. Why don’t you explain yourself from the beginning? Sorry I reported you.

littlenick wrote:
Sorry. Why don’t you explain yourself from the beginning? Sorry I reported you.

Take it easy nicky, why so jumpy?

did you think he meant crystal meth (ice)? that’s made very differently.

Kuvri (yodaluv12) wrote:
did you think he meant crystal meth (ice)? that’s made very differently.

So you know? Aha! Got ya!

haha well it’s sure not sugarwater :P

i don’t know exactly, but i have an idea of what’s needed due to my living in one of the meth capitols of the us :(

ok its the science fair and i need to grow crystals so that i can see what affects their growth

what if you try growing them in different liquids? ie vinegar, rubbing alcohol, bleach, oil, soda, fruit juice, distilled water, and see what forms? some of them (like oil) won’t work but it shows that you tried different techniques.

thats what i was going to do but i was going to let them grow first and then add, vinegar, alcohol, and bleach to see how they change

Here’s How:

1. Gather your materials.
2. You may wish to grow a seed crystal, a small crystal to weight your string and provide a surface for larger crystals to grow onto. A seed crystal is not necessary as long as you are using a rough string or yarn.
3. Tie the string to a pencil or butter knife. If you have made a seed crystal, tie it to the bottom of the string. Set the pencil or knife across the top of the glass jar and make sure that the string will hang into the jar without touching its sides or bottom. However, you want the string to hang nearly to the bottom. Adjust the length of the string, if necessary.
4. Boil the water. If you boil your water in the microwave, be very careful removing it to avoid getting splashed!
5. Stir in the sugar, a teaspoonful at a time. Keep adding sugar until it starts to accumulate at the bottom of the container and won’t dissolve even with more stirring. This means your sugar solution is saturated. If you don’t use a saturated solution, then your crystals won’t grow quickly. On the other hand, if you add too much sugar, new crystals will grow on the undissolved sugar and not on your string.
6. If you want colored crystals, stir in a few drops of food coloring.
7. Pour your solution into the clear glass jar. If you have undissolved sugar at the bottom of your container, avoid getting it in the jar.
8. Place the pencil over the jar and allow the string to dangle into the liquid.
9. Set the jar somewhere where it can remain undisturbed. If you like, you can set a coffee filter or paper towel over the jar to prevent dust from falling into the jar.
10. Check on your crystals after a day. You should be able to see the beginnings of crystal growth on the string or seed crytal.
11. Let the crystals grow until they have reached the desired size or have stopped growing. At this point, you can pull out the string and allow the crystal to dry. You can eat them or keep them. Have fun!
12. If you are having trouble growing sugar crystals, you may want to try some special techniques.

Tips:

1. Crystals will form on a cotton or wool string or yarn, but not on a nylon line. If you use a nylon line, tie a seed crystal to it to stimulate crystal growth.
2. If you are making the crystals to eat, please don’t use a fishing weight to hold your string down. The lead from the weight will end up in the water — it’s toxic. Paper clips are a better choice, but still not great.

http://chemistry.about.com/od/growing…

I did that for my 8th grade science fair.