Magnesium Sulfate Crystal

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Wikipedia Page

Magnesium sulfate crystal

Crystal Formation

Demonstration

Youtube Video

Materials & Equipment

• water
• magnesium sulfate (epsom salt)
• food coloring (optional)
• heating element
• stirring apparatus
• beaker or pan

Safety

Not classified for physical or health hazards under GHS.

How To

To create these crystals, create a saturated solution of magnesium sulfate and water. To do this, add magnesium sulfate to water while being heated on a hot plate. Continue adding magnesium sulfate until no more of the solid will enter the solution. Doing this will ensure a saturated solution has been made. After creating the saturated solution, remove the solution from the hot plate and place in a cool location, like a refrigerator, to allow for crystal formation. The refrigerator is not crucial for the crystal formation, but will speed up the formation process. These crystals will also form while being at room temperature, but it will take longer.

Strategies

When initially doing research about how to create these crystals, a variety of sources stated to use equal volumes of water and magnesium sulfate (ex. 1 cup of water and 1 cup of magnesium sulfate). When using this procedures, a it was not obvious a saturated solution was created. This is why the above procedure states to simply continue adding magnesium sulfate until no more will go into solution. After the 1 cup of magnesium sulfate was added to the 1 cup of water, more magnesium sulfate went into solution after it was added. If the solution was saturated, no more magnesium sulfate would have went into solution. Also, an indication a solution is moving toward saturation is the visibility of the water and the texture on the stirring apparatus. The water will appear cloudy when the solution is moving toward saturation. It was also noted crystals began forming on the stirring apparatus when not in solution as the solution moved toward saturation.

Why is this a great crystal experiment?

This is a great and simple crystal experiment. The materials are cheap and easy to obtain. There are also only two materials: water and magnesium sulfate. The magnesium sulfate can be purchased from any drug store as it is a common soaking aid for minor aches and bruises. The procedure is simple to follow and is not time consuming. The longest aspect of this experiment is waiting for the crystals to form after being removed from the heat. Since the materials are common health aids, this experiment does not require the use of a lab.