You can increase the rate of cooling by putting the fresh solution in a refrigerator or freezer (faster) or leaving it on a warm stove or in an insulated container (slower). If the temperature changed from the time you made the solution to the present time, the rate of cooling may make a difference. However, for some crystals, you may need to decrease the temperature (which slows the molecules down and gives them a change to bind together).ĭid you heat your solution to saturate it? Should you heat it? Should you cool it? Experiment with this variable. You may need to increase the temperature around your crystals to get them to grow (increases evaporation). Common contaminants that enter the solution after you have made it include oxides from paper clips or pipe cleaners, detergent residue on the container, dust, or a contaminant falling into an uncovered container.Įxperiment with temperature. If your starting solute was impure, you will need to make the new solution with a higher-purity compound. Grow your crystals in an undisturbed location. If you are sure your solution is saturated, try to eliminate these other common reasons for lack of crystal growth: Remember, your solution should be loosely covered with a cloth or paper to prevent contamination. You can speed the evaporation process by increasing the temperature where your crystals are growing or by increasing air circulation.
If you don’t have any more solute to use, you can take some comfort in knowing that the solution will become more concentrated over time, as evaporation removes some of the solvent. Let the excess settle out of solution, then pour or siphon the solution off, being careful not to pick up undissolved solute. You want to keep adding solute until you start to see some accumulate at the bottom of your container. You can stir the solution and apply heat to help to get solute into solution. The cure is to dissolve more solute into the liquid. This is usually caused by using a solution that isn’t saturated. Crystal Growing Problem #1: No Crystal Growth Find out what you can do to correct some problems without throwing out your solution or prevent the same problem if you have to try again. Here’s a look at some of the most common problems you may encounter when growing crystals.
Sometimes crystals just don’t seem to grow no matter what you try or you get a mass of tiny crystals when you want a single large crystal.
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