The Growth Rate of Crystals

Fall Semester Project

By David Pedersen
Physical Science, Per.2
12/2/13



Hypothesis
Crystal formation is a type of chemical reaction. Chemicals react quicker at a higher temperature
and typically react slower at a lower temperature. Therefore, I hypothesize that crystals form faster at a
higher temperature and will appear slower at a lower temperature. In summary, I hypothesis the speed of
the growth of the crystal formation will depend on environmental temperature.









Experimental Design
Day 1
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 36 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator
Green Crystal 65 Degrees Fahrenheit Room Temperature
Yellow Crystal around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat
Responding Variable: After ten hours tiny formations of crystals have begun to appear.

Day 2
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 35 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator
Green Crystal 65 Degrees Fahrenheit for Room Temperature
Yellow Crystal around 69 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat
Responding Variable: The liquid for the yellow crystal is lower. Crystals are beginning to form a
little bit.
Day 3
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 35 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator
Green Crystal 66 Degrees Fahrenheit for Room Temperature
Yellow Crystal around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat
Responding Variable: The liquid is a little bit lower for the green crystal. Small crystals are
beginning to grow.
Day 4
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 34 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator
Green Crystal 66 Degrees Fahrenheit for Room Temperature
Yellow Crystal around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat
Responding Variable: The level for the yellow crystal is lower than previous day. Crystals
continue to grow. The blue crystal is not growing as fast as the others.
Day 5
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 35 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator
Green Crystal 65 Degrees Fahrenheit for Room Temperature
Yellow Crystal around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat
Responding Variable: Still little progress for the blue crystal and crystals are still growing.

Day 6
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 35 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator
Green Crystal 65 Degrees Fahrenheit for Room Temperature
Yellow Crystal around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat
Responding Variable: Crystals continue to grow, but still little progress from the blue crystal.

Day 7
Manipulated Variable: Blue Crystal 35 Degrees Fahrenheit in Refrigerator.
Green Crystal 65 Degrees Fahrenheit for Room Temperature.
Yellow Crystal around 70 Degrees Fahrenheit for Heat.
Responding Variable: The liquid for the yellow crystal is no longer there. The liquid for the green
crystal was half of the growing cup. The liquid for the blue crystal decreased a
little.
Experimental Design

Cup with heat lamp Cup at room temperature Cup in refrigerator
Temp.
(deg.F)
Observations Temp.
(deg.F)
Observations Temp.
(deg.F)
Observations

Day 1 70 Tiny formations of
crystals have
appeared.
65 Tiny formations of
crystals have
appeared.
36 Tiny formations of
crystals have
appeared.
Day 2 69 The liquid is lower
and crystals
beginning to form a
little bit.
65 Crystals are
beginning to form a
little bit.
35 Crystals are
beginning to form a
little bit.
Day 3 70 Small crystals are
beginning to grow.
66 The liquid is lower
and small crystals are
beginning to grow.
35 Small crystals are
beginning to grow,
but not as fast as
the other cups.
Day 4 70 The level of the
liquid is lower than
the previous day.
Crystals continue
to grow.
66 Crystals continue to
grow.
34 Crystals continue to
grow, but not as
fast as the others.
Day 5 70 Crystals continue
to grow.
65 Crystals continue to
grow.
35 Crystals continue to
grow, but not as
fast as the others.
Very little progress.
Day 6 70 Crystals continue
to grow.
65 Crystals continue to
grow.
35 Crystals continue to
grow, but not as
fast as the others.
Day 7 70 The liquid is no
longer there.
65 The liquid left was
half of the growing
cup.
35 The liquid has only
decreased a little.


Materials List
1. Three growing cups
2. Two bags of chemical powder
3. Three stones (each stone was about 2 cm high)
4. Three mixing sticks
5. A heat-resistant measuring cup (16 oz.)
6. A small sauce pan
7. 3 x 68 ml. (2.29 fluid ounces) of water
8. Scissors
9. Measuring spoons (1 tablespoon, tablespoon)
10. Three thermometers (scale range from 0 to 100 degrees F)
11. Pen and paper
12. Desk lamp
13. Refrigerator
14. Stove







Procedures
First step, I used scissors to cut the growing cups apart from one another. Second step, I measured
out sixty-eight (2.29 fluid ounces) of water and poured it into a heat resistant measuring cup. Then I
poured the water into a sauce pan and put it onto the stove to wait until the water is boiling. Third step, I
opened bag #1 of the Golden Citrine Chemical and poured two-thirds of it into the heat-resistant
measuring cup. For the Fourth step, I poured the boiling water into the measuring cup which contains
two-thirds of the chemical from bag #1. Fifth step, I stirred until all of the chemical grains have dissolved.
For the Sixth step, I placed one stone at the bottom of one of the growing cups. Seventh step, I poured the
chemical water solution into one of the growing cups. As the Eighth step, I sprinkled a few of the left over
seed crystals onto the top of the stone. Then as the last step I placed the golden citrine chemical solution
under a heat lamp and repeated steps 1-9 for the two other colored crystals. I placed the second growing
cup with crystal solution in a refrigerator. The third growing cup with crystal solution was left in a room
at room temperature. The experiment lasted seven days. Each day the crystal growing cups were
examined and the temperatures of each cup were recorded on a sheet of paper. Also I recorded my daily
observations regarding the growth of the crystals in each growing cup.







Results
Cup with heat lamp Cup at room temperature Cup in refrigerator
Temp.
(deg.F)
Observations Temp.
(deg.F)
Observations Temp.
(deg.F)
Observations
Day 1 70 Tiny formations of
crystals have
appeared.
65 Tiny formations of
crystals have
appeared.
36 Tiny formations of
crystals have
appeared.
Day 2 69 The liquid is lower
and crystals
beginning to form a
little bit.
65 Crystals are
beginning to form a
little bit.
35 Crystals are
beginning to form a
little bit.
Day 3 70 Small crystals are
growing.
66 The liquid is lower
and small crystals are
growing.
35 Small crystals are
growing, but not as
fast as the other
cups.
Day 4 70 The level of the
liquid is lower than
the previous day.
Crystals continue
to grow.
66 Crystals continue to
grow.
34 Crystals continue to
grow but not as fast
as the other cups.
Day 5 70 Crystals continue
to grow.
65 Crystals continue to
grow.
35 Crystals continue to
grow but not as fast
as the other cups.
Very little progress.
Day 6 70 Crystals continue
to grow.
65 Crystals continue to
grow.
35 Crystals continue to
grow but not as fast
as the other cups.
Day 7 70 The liquid is no
longer there.
65 The liquid left was
half of the growing
cup.
35 The liquid has only
decreased a little.

My daily results were as followings: On the first day we assembled each crystal growing cup and
placed the yellow crystal under a desk lamp, the green crystal in a room at room temperature, and the blue
crystal in a refrigerator. On the second day the liquid in the yellow crystal cup was lower and crystals
started to form a little bit, the green crystals started to form a little bit, and the blue crystals started to form
a little bit. On the third day the yellow small crystals are growing and the green crystals are growing, but
as for the blue crystal it is not as fast as the other cups. The liquid for the green crystal is lower. On the
fourth day the level for the liquid of the yellow crystal is lower than the previous day and crystals
continue to grow. The green crystals continue to grow but as for the blue crystal not as fast as the others.
On the fifth day the yellow and green crystals continue to grow but still little progress for the blue crystal.
On the sixth day the yellow and green crystals keep growing and still the same for the blue crystal.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hypothesize that the crystals would form quicker in warmer temperatures and
slower in colder temperatures. And according to the results of my experiment the crystals that formed
under a lamp around seventy degrees grew bigger than the one at room temperature. The one in the
refrigerator hardly grew at all. Thus I confirm my hypothesis.









Bibliography
Smithsonian Crystal Growing. Digital Image. Smithsonian Institution, 2012.