Sciencemadness Discussion Board - Sodium Chloride Crystals

Sodium Chloride Crystals

pneumatician - 19-10-2014 at 16:28

hi

how I cant obtain Sodium Chloride Crystals like this:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Close_Up_View_Of_Sodi...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasamarshall/5399425433/

this appeard to be done in space and are very little.

can I obtain this square crystals in the surface a lot more big, around 1 to 3 cm by side???? how?

I don't want halite natural cubes.

Brain&Force - 19-10-2014 at 17:03

Sodium chloride crystals are really, really hard to grow. From my experience I've needed to leave them for months to grow even slightly.

The pyramidal indentations are very common on sodium chloride crystals; cleavage may cause it; but I'm not entirely sure. If you look at very coarse sea salt under a microscope they are very obvious.

[Edited on 20.10.2014 by Brain&Force]

Amos - 19-10-2014 at 18:01

I don't know about Brain&Force up there(he is kind of an odd one), but they typically aren't too hard. Just do a google search, crystal growing is very common as a science tutorial or lab for youngsters.

Brain&Force - 19-10-2014 at 18:07

Kind of an odd one? I'm a really odd one

The problem I just realized is that the pictures he's linked show crystals grown in microgravity. That's not really something you can do without taking a solution to space.

Try copper acetate crystals (add copper to vinegar and hydrogen peroxide), which form really nice dark teal diamonds. A petri dish really helps.

[Edited on 20.10.2014 by Brain&Force]

j_sum1 - 19-10-2014 at 19:13

Quote: Originally posted by Brain&Force

Kind of an odd one? I'm a really odd one

That might be a nice little project to do with my 6yo daughter. I think she will enjoy that one.

Texium - 19-10-2014 at 19:26

I crystallized some copper acetate recently. It's really cool looking. When the crystals get larger, they look almost black, like obsidian, but if you hold them up to the light they're teal around the edges.

violet sin - 19-10-2014 at 23:01

https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/files.php?pid=335326&...

https://www.sciencemadness.org/whisper/files.php?pid=335326&...

KCl crystal, so not NaCl, but close? it took about a year and a half to grow, give or take a couple months. was sitting there so long I kinda forgot exactly when I started. snapple bottle + KCl solution + time w/ loos fit lid = nice big guy

pneumatician - 20-10-2014 at 06:53

well, after a few replys...

here "my white devil"

OF COURSE NaCl, crystals easy done in ONE crystallization.

not needed climb so high

[Edited on 20-10-2014 by pneumatician]

[Edited on 20-10-2014 by pneumatician]

violet sin - 20-10-2014 at 20:32

pneumatician- "OF COURSE NaCl, crystals easy done in ONE crystallization."

I don't think any one said it needed multiple crystallizations, my experience was a one shot try. but the first crystals didn't start to grow for quite some time. after a month or so there were a few chunks like coarse sea salt, and they slowly started to grow larger over the extended time frame. I simply let them sit until they could grow no larger in the bottle without hitting the side.

right now the crystals from my photos are in a nice jar with plastic wrap tightly over the top, so you can see them clearly on my mantle

pretty sure the solution was started from a whole container of no-salt sodium free stuff from the grocery store. it was fun, but ammonium sulfate was a LOT quicker to make nice size bits. ~ 3 days for 1/2" crystals in 100'F+ weather in the back yard( covered from dust).

the KCl I didn't want to rush because I wanted them as clear as possible. so no heating or anything that might cause it to drop out too fast for single large chunks. though I am sure with some effort, you could push to see how much it would take before they got grainy on you.