[saltcrystals]

Hey Chemists!

I need some advice on growing some really "cool looking" crystals.

Here is my latest attempt:

http://vimeo.com/21836681

I used water, salt, ammonia and mrs stewarts liquid bluing and used a piece of thread on some glass to grow them upwards.  The frame of view in the image is about 1cm wide.  The film runs at 29.97 fps and was shot at 1 frame per minute.

The are kind of growing out as a large mass - is there a way I can encourage them to grow as branches rather than one large mass.   There are small fingers growing out at the front, is there a way I could make those bigger and reach further?

Any advice would be appreciated. 

Thanks!

Al.

[enahs]

Very cool video.

As for what you said you want (I think I understand it). A couple things will help. A smoother string. Also, reducing the concentration of your chemicals. This will cause them to grow slower though.

[saltcrystals]

Good to know.

Here's my latest one I did:  http://vimeo.com/21909123

At the end they are growing like clouds which is basically when the solution is drying up under the heat of the light.  The "cloud" like shapes will be because the solution is concentrated as it dries yes?

Can you be more specific about the smoother string?    I've been using a piece of thread in some of my tests.

Thanks for your reply!

Al.

[enahs]

One of the main factors for growing crystals is there needs to be what is called a nucleation site. Some rough spot for the crystals to form on and build off of. A "rougher" string will have more of these nucleation sites, a "smoother" string will have less nucleation sites, and thus the crystals should grow ontop of already formed crystals more then just forming all over on the string.

A smoother "String" is fishing line, but I do not think it will work in this case. Go to a Walmart or some store with a sewing section (take a magnifying glass) and just look at the strings and see if you can find one that appears "smoother" and try it. This might not effect it that much though, but worth testing out.


Dilute solutions will form crystals slower. Slow formation of crystals tends to make larger more pure crystals with less imperfections and could reduce the "cloud" like structure you are talking about. But you have to be careful about letting the solution dry.


You can maintain a constant liquid level by using an inverted coke bottle. Like you often see it dog water bowls and such:
http://www.dinodirect.com/water-food-feeder-dog-cat-pet.html?cur=USD&AFFID=183

[saltcrystals]

Great - thanks for the advice.

Are there any other chemicals I could try out that are easy to obtain and safe to work with?  I'm currently using water, salt, ammonia and mrs stewarts liquid bluing.

Thanks!

Al.