Grow Crystals

This instructable shows you how to grow your own crystals, using Copper Sulphate.

To produce Copper Sulphate crystals, you need the following:

1) Copper Sulphate in powder form
2) A glass jar
3) A small button
4) Some thin (plastic coated) wire
5) A paper clip
6) A spoon

First you need to prepare the paper clip and button. This acts as a base or "seed" for your crystal. Unwind the paper clip and thread the button through it, as show below.

Then, cut the wire in half so that you have two pieces. Tie each wire to each side of the paper clip.
This arrangement ensures that the "seed" remains submerged in the saturated solution.

Pour some hot water into the jar.
Add copper sulphate to the hot water and dissolve. Keep on adding copper sulphate until no more dissolves. Repeat this process until the jar is almost filled to the top with solution. Remember: it is extremely important that the solution is saturated! This means that if you add any more powder to it, it does not dissolve after stirring well. Your solution should be dark blue, and no light should pass through it. Copper Sulphate is very soluble and can be absorbed through the skin, so please wear gloves when preparing the solution.

Lastly, place your prepared wire and button in the solution so that the button is suspended about half way into the jar. Do not move the jar once this is done. Leave the jar as it is for 24 hours. Crystals will have grown around the button and along the wire. Leaving your jar for longer will produce larger crystals. Remember, the more saturated your solution was, the bigger your crystals will be. You can remove the crystals from the jar and dry them with some paper towels. You have now made some Copper Sulphate crystals!

Below is our video of this instructable: