Alum Crystal

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[[File:

Grocery store alum

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Alum crystal

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Alum Background

From the wikipedia page on Alum

You may find it in the grocery store's spice aisle. It is often used to make pickles crispy, but can also be used to grow large, diamond like crystals. Alum is a hydrated double sulfate salt of aluminum. “Alum” also known as aluminum potassium sulfate. Alum is a non-toxic compound but may cause eye irritation.

What are Crystals?

Crystals may be found in nature and are characterized as having an orderly, repetitive atomic arrangement. Recrystallization is a common technique used to purify substances.

Creating Alum Crystals

Alum is a small white crystal. A larger alum crystal structure can be created from the compound. General steps are listed below:

Examples

Video"How to Make Giant Borax Crystals"[3]

Website "Giant Borax Crystals"[4]"DIY Borax Crystals"[5]

Possible Alterations

Make it Glow To make your crystal glow under UV light, you can add the contents of a fluorescent highlighter into the saturated Borax solution. If food coloring is used to make the crystals a different color, the intensity of the glow can be reduced.

Different Base If you don't want to use a pipe cleaner as the base for the crystal, another possibility is to use a clay or polymer base. Use the following instructions:

1. prepare the supersaturated Borax solution as stated in the original directions
2. shape the clay or polymer into the shape you want
3. bake the base so it can harden
4. use glue or modgepodge to coat the inside of the base
5. sprinkle Borax powder on the glue to give a thick coat
6. submerge the base in the saturated solution and let it sit overnight