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How to Make Huge Crystals

Crystals form when a precipitate, or solid matter, is dissolved in a liquid. When that liquid dissolves, the molecules in the precipitate bond together in geometric shapes. The geometric shapes stack on top of each other until you have a crystal visible to the naked eye. If you want to grow your own crystals at home, remember that many small crystals form when the liquid evaporates rapidly. To get really huge crystals, the liquid must evaporate very slowly, which requires special conditions.

Things You'll Need

Large, round glass vase
Salt
Wooden spoon
Nylon thread
Scissors
Bamboo skewer

Instructions

- 1
  Fill a large, round glass vase with warm water. The rounder the center of the vase, the larger crystal you'll be able to grow. Large crystals require plenty of space, otherwise they'll get stuck in your vase.
- 2
  Pour salt into the water one-half cup at a time. Stir the water with a wooden spoon until the salt completely dissolves. When the salt stops dissolving, the water is super-saturated, meaning it can't dissolve any more solids.
- 3
  Cut a piece of nylon thread about 2 inches longer than your vase is tall. For instance, if your vase is 10 inches tall, you need a piece of thread about a foot long.
- 4
  Tie the last 3 inches of the thread to a bamboo skewer. The skewer must be long enough to span the opening of your vase.
- 5
  Dip the loose end of the nylon thread in a little water and some salt. This ensures the salt in the vase bonds to the end of the nylon. Since nylon isn't very porous, the crystal will only form on the end of the thread, creating one very large crystal.
- 6
  Lower the thread into the vase, setting the skewer across the mouth of the vase like a bridge. Place the vase in a cool, dry area. Dry air will help the crystals form, but cooler temperatures will slow the evaporation process.
- 7
  Check on the vase each day. You should see crystals begin to cling to the end of the nylon thread. If "seed" crystals begin to form the bottom of your vase, gently remove the thread and scoop them out with a spoon. This encourages the salt to stick to your thread and not the seed crystals.

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