Science Lab Task Sheet

Topic: Growing Crystals

Some solids have a regular arrangement of their molecules that extend over large sizes. This highly
regular arrangement causes them to form in regular shapes, or they can be easily cut into these shapes.
Such solids are called Crystals.

Materials:

 Salt or Copper Sulphate

 water

 Bunsen burner

 100ml Beaker

 Shallow bowl

Safety Precautions:

 Wear googles

 Gloves must be worn as CuSO4 causes skin irritation

 CuSO4 is toxic to aquatic animals so dispose of the chemical appropriately

Method:

 Make a small amount of saturated solution by dissolving copper sulphate into 100-200cm3 of
boiling water until no more will dissolve.

 Pour this solution into shallow bowl, and leave for at least 24 hours.

 As the water evaporates, salt crystals will form.

Hint: You can use one of these seed crystals to grow a larger crystal by suspending it in a saturated
solution and leave it undisturbed for few days.
 Post Lab Task Sheet

Results:

What has been formed in the shallow bowl? Summarize your observations carefully.

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Conclusion:

Explain what has happened to the salt solution.

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