Carolyn N. Kinder
Objective The student will learn how a crystal will grow.
Observations
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1. Do you think crystals will grow from any solution of its own substances. Add a drop of water to a drop of solution you are watching grow under the microscope. What happened?
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2. When there is no longer any material for crystals to grow from, and they have stopped growing, do crystals ever lose their ability to grow more?
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3. Place a drop of salt solution on a microscope slide and watch the crystals grow as you look at them through the microscope. Drop into the solution a few crystals of salt. Do these crystals grow or disappear?
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4. Do crystals ever lose their ability to grow?
Discussion Crystals will not grow from any solution of its own substance. A crystal growing in a drop of solution will begin to dissolve again and again if a drop of water is added to the drop of solution under the microscope. The crystal will again start to grow when this added drop of water has evaporated. Crystals are choosy about the conditions under which they will grow. When there is no longer suitable and sufficient material for a crystal to grow from, and it has stopped growing, the crystal does not lose it capacity to grow. A dry crystal never loses its ability to grow.