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1. Heat the water in the saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil.
2. Completely dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, stirring continuously with the wooden spoon until the solution grows clear and it reaches a rolling boil.
What does hard-ball stage mean and how can I tell when Ive reached it?
3. Remove the solution from the heat, and then carefully pour it into the jar. Cover the jar with a small piece of waxed paper.
4. Tie the weight to one end of the string, and then tie the other end to the middle of the pencil. The string should be about two-thirds as long as the jar is deep. Dip the string into the sugar solution, remove it, lay it on a piece of waxed paper, straighten it out, and let it dry for a few days.
Why does the string need to be soaked and then dried ?
5. Gently suspend the prepared string in the solution and let sit at room temperature, undisturbed, for several days. You can check each day to see how much your crystals have grown. Its tempting, but dont touch the jar until the experiment is finishedit usually takes about seven days.
What makes the crystals grow?
6. At the end of the week, the crystals on your string should be clearly defined, with sharp right angles and smooth faces of various sizes. In the field of crystallography, these are called monoclinic crystals. Their shape is determined by the way the individual sugar molecules fit together, which is similar to the way the shape of a pile of oranges is determined by the shape of the individual oranges and the way they stack together.
Try adding food coloring or flavoring to your sugar syrup before making the rock candy.
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In this science fair project you will make a saturated solution of sugar and water in order to grow your own rock candy sugar crystals. You will compare the rate of growth between rock candy that is left to nucleate on its own in the solution, and rock candy that starts off with some assistance. To assist this rock candy, you will jump-start ...
Good science fair projects have a stronger focus on controlling variables, taking accurate measurements, and analyzing data. ... In this activity, you make a saturated solution of sugar and water and grow rock candy sugar crystals. To speed up the process, you jump-start the nucleation process by adding sugar crystals, called seed crystals, to ...
Many of our precious gemstones are formations of crystal. Check out other crystal science projects like our salt crystals and borax crystals. You can also make edible rock candy geodes. This sugar crystal experiment uses the same saturation principles and makes a saturated solution to form the crystals. Growing crystals is fun for kids and ...
Anchor it to the top of the container somehow. We used a string and a paperclip. Make sure the string isn't touching the sides of the jar or the bottom of the jar. Put your sugar-water solution somewhere safe to sit for a few days. Watch and wait for your sugar crystals to grow. These are your rock candy crystals.
Grow Sugar Crystals. The procedure is really easy. Dissolve the sugar in the boiling water. Heat the sugar solution on the stove, or in the microwave if you have trouble getting the sugar to dissolve. Once the sugar dissolves, remove it from heat. If you keep heating it, it hardens and burns.
In this fun and easy crystal science experiment, we're going to grow rock candy crystals. Note: Since hot water in involved, please insure adult supervision is utilized. Materials: Sugar Water Measuring cups Clean glass jar Butter knife or popsicle stick Rough string or yarn Microwave safe container Spoon Wax paper Food coloring Instructions: Tie a piece of the string to the center of the ...
Making rock candy is really easy and lots of fun for kids. This activity is a beautiful science experiment and a yummy treat all in one. My kids LOVED checking on their jars each day to see if the rock crystals had grown. Follow this easy tutorial to conduct your own rock candy experiment.
The other thing going on with this is evaporation. During the 2-week period of crystal growth, water evaporates from the jars, too. As the water leaves, there is still more sugar available to grow on to the crystals. Try Some More Kitchen Science Experiments: Kitchen Science: Homemade Hard Candy Lollipops. Kitchen Science: Homemade Butter in a Jar
Fold the paper towel in two and, using scissors, make a small cut in the center to put the chopstick through. 11. Wait. Growing rock candy is a slow process. You'll start to see some crystals by ...
Seedy science. Every experiment starts with a hypothesis — a statement that can be tested. In this case, I'm testing whether seed crystals promote more rock candy formation. My hypothesis will be that using sticks with seed crystals will produce more rock candy than sticks without. To test this hypothesis, I made two batches of rock candy.
How to Grow Rock Candy Crystals: Step 1: Have an adult place the water in a saucepan and heat over medium. Sugar will dissolve better if the water is boiling or almost boiling. Stir sugar into the water ¼ C at a time. Completely dissolve the sugar into the water following each addition.
Find out in this rock candy experiment for kids! Make edible rock crystals in record time! Make seed crystals by dipping your coffee stirrers into water and then dipping them into sugar. Let these completely dry before you add the sugar solution. Heat 4 cups of water and 8 cups of sugar on the stove. Add the sugar in one cup at a time and stir ...
The most fun recipe to make is probably rock candy! Not only will you get to experiment with candy-making science, you'll get to watch the formation of sugar crystals. Homemade Rock Candy Experiment. Ingredients. 2 cups water; 6 cups granulated sugar; Optional: 1/2 to 1 teaspoon flavoring extract or oil - feel free to get creative! Optional ...
Rock candy is a delicious treat which can teach students about the science principle of how crystals form. Rock candy projects take about 10 days from start to finish, and can be done either in class or as a take-home assignment where students observe the project at home. Conclude the project by allowing students to ...
Rock Candy Making Tutorial: To begin, prep the candy sticks. Soak the sticks in water and roll them in a coating of granulated white sugar to "seed" the rock candy crystals (give them a starting point to grow from). Allow the sugared sticks to dry completely (for at least 30 minutes). If desired, use a fine-mist spray bottle to lightly mist ...
As the water evaporates, the solution becomes more saturated and sugar molecules will continue to come out of the solution and collect on the seed crystals on the string. The rock candy crystals grow molecule by molecule. Your finished rock candy will be made up of about a quadrillion (1,000,000,000,000,000) molecules attached to the string .
Here's what you need: Granulated Sugar (for 5 sticks of candy, you'll need 10 cups) Water. Food coloring (if you want to add color to your candy) Mason jars or other receptacles to hold sugar solution. I recommend a standard 16 oz. mason jar. Skewers or sticks to make rock candy on. I use a simple wooden kabob skewer.
Pour the sugar water into the jar. Wet your sticks with some of the sugar water and then roll them in more sugar. This will help the crystals form on your stick. Be careful though, if your water hasn't cooled yet the warmth will dissolve it. Hang the stick in the sugar solution with the clothespin and set the jars somewhere they won't be ...
Here's are a few more tips for making homemade rock candy: Make sure your glass/jars are clear and CLEAN. Make sure your water/ sugar ratio is AT LEAST 1:2- just shy of a 1:3. You want a thick, saturated sugar syrup mixture. Place in a WARM, SUNNY location if you'd like to grow crystals quicker.
1. Fill a glass with water, pour some sugar on a small plate, and lay out a sheet of waxed paper. Dip one end of each stick (cut pointed ends off if you use skewers) into the water and then roll it in the sugar, tapping it gently to remove excess. Set each stick to dry on the waxed paper. 2.
Heat the water in the saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a boil. 2. Completely dissolve the sugar in the boiling water, stirring continuously with the wooden spoon until the solution grows clear and it reaches a rolling boil. 3. Remove the solution from the heat, and then carefully pour it into the jar.
Cut a wooden skewer to about 7 inches long. Spray half of the skewer with water. (You can also dunk it in a glass of water or put it under the tap.) Sprinkle sugar over the wet part, rotating the skewer to cover it. Adding sugar to the skewers gives seed crystals for your rock candy to grow on.
Pour sugar mixture into 6 (8-oz.) jars. Using clothespins (or a pencil for string) to suspend swizzle sticks 1 inch from the bottom of the jar. Be careful for the sticks/string to avoid the edges of the jar. Cover with saran wrap and set in a cool, dry place. Allow rock candy to rest and form for 2 weeks.