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How to Make Copper Sulphate Crystals

Many children and students grow sugar or salt crystals at some point in their education. While these crystals are fun and easy to grow--and edible if you use sugar and flavor extracts--you can only vary them so much. The crystals usually turn out small and the colors muddled. Older students and adults can grow large, beautiful, bright blue crystals with copper sulfate. You can either grow them free-form in the bottom of a container or create homemade geodes with eggshells.

Things You'll Need

Distilled water
Measuring cup
Copper sulfate granules
Saucepan
Spoon
Glass jar

Instructions

- 1
  Mix 1 cup of distilled water with ½ cup of copper sulfate granules in a small saucepan. Stir them gently over low heat until most of the copper sulfate granules dissolve. The result should be a cloudy blue liquid.
- 2
  Remove the saucepan from heat and hold a glass jar over the hot burner until the glass feels warm to the touch. This prevents the jar from cracking because of a sudden temperature change.
- 3
  Pour the cloudy blue mixture into the warmed jar and set it in a warm, dry place overnight. Over the next few days you should see brilliant blue crystals about the size of the tip of your finger beginning to form. For clusters, allow the jar to sit until most of the liquid is gone.

Rocks & Minerals