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Science Lab Experiment: Crystallization


Demonstration: Crystal Columns

Materials Needed:

Hot water
2 glass bottles
washing soda
1 spoon
4 pieces of wool
(twisted together to form one thick string)
1 large plate

First fill the two bottles with hot water. Stir in lots of washing soda until no more will disappear into the water. Then place the jars in a warm place, where they will not be moved. Set the plate between the jars with one end of the wool in each jar so the wool hangs over the plate.

The water and soda from the jars travels along the wool and drips in the middle, landing on the plate. As it drips, the water goes into the air, leaving the soda behind in a hard drop forming two separate columns; one hanging from the wool, the other forming in the plate. After a few days the columns will meet in the middle.

This follows the same principal as the stalagmites which grow up from the caves and stalactites, which grow down from the ceiling of caves. Stalagmites and stalactites are formed from the lime in limestone rock.