sugar crystals

[Amanda G.]

My 3rd grade daughter has a project due March 6th, 2008. We decided to make sugar crystals, but we are having a problem growing them. Do you have any suggestions? Or do you have an idea for another project that will not take us long to do? She is interested in chemistry and animals.

[ChrisG]

Hi Amanda,
Welcome to the Ask an Expert forum. What sort of problem are you having with the sugar crystal growth? That project is usually fairly straight forward, so we should be able to help you complete it.
As far as looking for other topics, I would recommend looking at the Science Buddies Project ideas:
http://www.sciencebuddies.com/science-f ... deas.shtml
There are several pages of experiments that relate to animals and to chemistry, with varying levels of complexity.
Regards,
Chris

[Amanda G.]

Chris,
Thank you for your quick response. The problem that we are having is the sugar crystals are not forming on the wooden skewers. The crystals are gathering on top of the water. We have used tap water and distilled water to see which one will grow faster. Unfortunatly we are at a stand still. I have thought about boiling the water again and adding more sugar. Hope you can help.
Thanks again,
Amanda

[ChrisG]

Amanda,
Here are a few tips about how to fix common problems in this experiment:
http://chemistry.about.com/cs/growingcr ... 012804.htm
It may be that the skewers have a coating or composition that is not conducive to crystal formation. You might want to try a different skewer, or try establishing some seed crystals on the skewer. I think your idea of adding more sugar to the solution is also a good strategy.

Good luck!

Chris

[Amanda G.]

Chris,
I would like to thank you again for your help. We added more sugar and now we have crystals, so the experiment is going just fine.

Thanks again,
Amanda

[ChrisG]

Amanda,
Great! I'm glad to hear that you have succeeded in growing the crystals. Congratulations.

Chris