Is there a way to make Crystal's with home products?

Question

My nephew wants to learn how to make crystal's, but I don't want to run around trying to find all kinds of sciency products that I wouldn't know how to use. Is there stuff around that house that can be used? Like salt or something?

Answer 1

Essentially, you heat water and dissolve all the material that the water will hold. Then provide a place for the crystals to form, such as a string dangling into the water. As the water cools, the chrystals will form on the string. Potassium permanganate (from the drugstore) makes pretty purple ones. Sugar makes edible ones (rock candy).

Answer 2

To list 1000's are there you can just name them yourselves as glass. diamonds. sugar, salt, marble, etc...

Answer 3

Table salt doesn't make crystals all that well.  Sugar works but it takes a lot of sugar, the solubility of sugar is around 100 grams of sugar per 100 mL of water, or about 4 ounces in a half a cup of water.  The best for making crystals at home is alum, or sodium aluminum phosphate.  Alum can be purchased in the spice section of any grocery store (it's used in pickling).  

I was going to give you some directions, but I found this website:

http://www.chymist.com/alum%20crystals.p...

and here's one for sugar crystals:

http://www.crystalgrowing.com/recipes/su...

edit:  Potassium permanganate (PP) is probably not a good choice for growing crystals at home, at least if you've never done this before.  For one thing, it is a strong oxidizer and can react violently with organic compounds.  Heated solutions are highly corrosive, so heating concentrated (PP) in an aluminum pot is not recommended and getting it on your hands would be bad as well.  A more practical issue is that in the U.S. and other countries, sales of strong oxidants like PP are starting to be restricted since they can be used to make improvised explosives.