Essential Question: How do alum crystals form?
Alum is a chemical compound, more scientifically called hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate, or potassium alum. Alum combines with the chloride in the hot tap water and their molecules bind together to make a crystal.
Looking Back:
As you view my photos below, my alum crystals work a lot better than my salt crystals. I was really happy that my alum crystals worked. My seed crystal wasn't as big as I hoped it would be so it was hard to tie it to the fishing line but it came through and I eventually got the fishing line around the crystal. I decided to leave my crystal in the beaker all weekend so it could keep on growing and I renewed the solution today so the growing wouldn't be slowed down by the other crystals forming at the bottom of the beaker.
Looking Beyond:
The process of growing of crystals is called crystallization. What happens is that the molecules in the solution are trying to come together like a puzzle piece. Certain molecules in the water come together to try to become stable as the solution cools. At first atoms begin to bond together then molecules bond together forming crystals. The size of crystals depends on the rate of cooling. Fast cooling will result in a large number of small crystals and slow cooling will result in a smaller number of large crystals. The size also is effected by the movement of that the solution has when it is forming. The crystals aren't supposed to be moved around when they are forming because it would disrupt their building a break some molecule bonding action that is going on.
Looking Inward:
I definitely got the desirable results for the alum crystals. I believe that the alum crystals worked because I had my friends Ivy and Daisy help when I needed it to get the results I wanted. For the alum crystals, I believe that it worked because Ivy watched a video on how to make the crystals in addition to reading online about them. In the video she learned that I had to add the alum little by little and stirring continuously so the alum would dissolve and stopping when I see that it didn't dissolve anymore.
Looking Outward:
I worked by myself for this lab again and I thought it was okay working by myself because I didn't have to rely on anybody and I'm learning to be independent and not needing my friends all the time. But since I was only relying on myself, it was kind of hard since I was kind of confused on what to do. I had to read the instructions more thoroughly to get a better understand, but I'm glad my friends did the lab before I did so I was able to ask them for guidance so I didn't do anything wrong.
Looking Beyond:
In my view, I was able to do this lab once and succeed on creating alum crystals. I think I should have just did the regular alum crystals in the first place so I didn't waste so much time redoing my salt crystals a couple times. I worked alone on this project and I believe that it was a good experience of doing a lab alone. I like to do more labs by with others rather than by myself because I feel like I have more fun that way with the lab and I learn more by watching what my peers do.
Takeaway:
What I took away from this lab was that I have to be patient if I want the best results. Also that I can always try the lab again if it doesn't work out. Even though I read many websites with instructions about how to do the lab, I would still need to ask other people who have done a similar lab to it in order to learn more and do it right. With this lab, I learned that asking for help, helped me more than just reading the instructions because other people gave me specific advise on how to make the alum crystals.
Alum is a chemical compound, more scientifically called hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate, or potassium alum. Alum combines with the chloride in the hot tap water and their molecules bind together to make a crystal.
Looking Back:
As you view my photos below, my alum crystals work a lot better than my salt crystals. I was really happy that my alum crystals worked. My seed crystal wasn't as big as I hoped it would be so it was hard to tie it to the fishing line but it came through and I eventually got the fishing line around the crystal. I decided to leave my crystal in the beaker all weekend so it could keep on growing and I renewed the solution today so the growing wouldn't be slowed down by the other crystals forming at the bottom of the beaker.
Looking Beyond:
The process of growing of crystals is called crystallization. What happens is that the molecules in the solution are trying to come together like a puzzle piece. Certain molecules in the water come together to try to become stable as the solution cools. At first atoms begin to bond together then molecules bond together forming crystals. The size of crystals depends on the rate of cooling. Fast cooling will result in a large number of small crystals and slow cooling will result in a smaller number of large crystals. The size also is effected by the movement of that the solution has when it is forming. The crystals aren't supposed to be moved around when they are forming because it would disrupt their building a break some molecule bonding action that is going on.
Looking Inward:
I definitely got the desirable results for the alum crystals. I believe that the alum crystals worked because I had my friends Ivy and Daisy help when I needed it to get the results I wanted. For the alum crystals, I believe that it worked because Ivy watched a video on how to make the crystals in addition to reading online about them. In the video she learned that I had to add the alum little by little and stirring continuously so the alum would dissolve and stopping when I see that it didn't dissolve anymore.
Looking Outward:
I worked by myself for this lab again and I thought it was okay working by myself because I didn't have to rely on anybody and I'm learning to be independent and not needing my friends all the time. But since I was only relying on myself, it was kind of hard since I was kind of confused on what to do. I had to read the instructions more thoroughly to get a better understand, but I'm glad my friends did the lab before I did so I was able to ask them for guidance so I didn't do anything wrong.
Looking Beyond:
In my view, I was able to do this lab once and succeed on creating alum crystals. I think I should have just did the regular alum crystals in the first place so I didn't waste so much time redoing my salt crystals a couple times. I worked alone on this project and I believe that it was a good experience of doing a lab alone. I like to do more labs by with others rather than by myself because I feel like I have more fun that way with the lab and I learn more by watching what my peers do.
Takeaway:
What I took away from this lab was that I have to be patient if I want the best results. Also that I can always try the lab again if it doesn't work out. Even though I read many websites with instructions about how to do the lab, I would still need to ask other people who have done a similar lab to it in order to learn more and do it right. With this lab, I learned that asking for help, helped me more than just reading the instructions because other people gave me specific advise on how to make the alum crystals.
Erika Leano
Period 4-5
March 12, 2015
Alum Crystals
Essential Question: How to make alum crystals?
Alum is a chemical compound, more scientifically called hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate, or potassium alum. Alum combines with the chloride in the hot tap water and their molecules bind together to make a crystal.
Safety Hazards:
Period 4-5
March 12, 2015
Alum Crystals
Essential Question: How to make alum crystals?
Alum is a chemical compound, more scientifically called hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate, or potassium alum. Alum combines with the chloride in the hot tap water and their molecules bind together to make a crystal.
Safety Hazards:
- Alum is usually very safe to use because it is non toxic
- Alum can cause irritation to skin and mucous membrane
- Breathing in alum can cause lung damage
- Ingesting alum can cause sickness and vomit
- The ingredients in making the crystals can stain wood and fabric
- Alum powder
- Hot water
- Jar
- spoon
- fishing line
- popsicle stick/pencil
- Protect work area with newspaper because stuff can spill
- Get water in the tap to be as hot as possible then pour a ½ cup into the jar.
- Add alum to the water by teaspoons, stirring well after each addition. At first the alum will dissolve in the water, but as it becomes saturated, there will be some alum staying at the bottom of the jar. Add the alum until it stops dissolving and begins to collect on the bottom. The water should be cloudy and not clear by now
- Leave it sitting for a day or two and seed crystals should form
- After the seed crystals form, pour the liquid out of the jar, but don't throw it away, and sort out the crystals that were in the bottom.
- Choose the largest and best shaped crystal and tie about 12 inches of fishing line securely around it in the middle of the line. Take the loose ends of the line and tie them to the middle of a craft stick.
- Pour the alum solution back into the jar. Adjust the length of the line so that when the craft stick is placed across the mouth of the jar, the crystal hangs not touching the bottom and sides of the jar.
- In a few days, remove the crystal from the solution when it stops growing or reaches a decent size. It should grow into the size a small stone. To make it bigger, renew the solution every so often