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How to make a saturated solution of copper sulfate. Growing crystals from copper sulfate. What you need to know

©Kireeva Elena Stanislavovna, 2018

Topic: “Growing crystals from copper sulfate»

Copper sulfate is a substance that, due to its beautiful bright blue color, is ideal for growing crystals. You can give them to your loved ones or use them as a decorative element. In any case, they will not leave anyone indifferent, and the manufacturing process can become truly exciting. So, how to grow a crystal from copper sulfate?

Preparatory activities:

Copper sulfate can be purchased at almost any hardware store. It is actively used in agriculture for pest control. However, we should not forget that this substance is toxic. When working with copper sulfate, be sure to use rubber gloves and prevent it from getting into the esophagus and mucous membranes. After finishing work, wash your hands thoroughly in running water.

You can grow a real miracle from copper sulfate, but do not forget about safety precautions during the manufacturing process.

In order to make a crystal, you will need:

    water - if possible, use distilled or, in extreme cases, boiled. Raw tap water is absolutely unsuitable due to the content of chlorides, which will react with the solution and deteriorate its quality;

    copper sulfate;

    plastic glass;

    jar 500ml;

    filter paper;

    fishing line - remember copper sulfate crystals are transparent, and the thread should not be visible through them.

When placing the seed in a container with a solution, make sure that it does not come into contact with the walls or bottom of the container. This can disrupt the crystal growth process and its structure.

Instructions for growing a crystal:

1.mix vitriol and hot water in a suitable container (glass or jar). Stir: the active substance should completely dissolve. After this, filter the solution through cotton wool or filter paper. The sediment remaining on the surface of the filter can be dried and used again if necessary. Leave for a day;

2. the next day, drain all remaining solution into a clean container;

3.select a crystal for the seed, tie it to a fishing line (thread). Fasten the second end of the thread to a pencil and place it horizontally on the container. The seed must be lowered into the solution in a strictly vertical position. Cover the dishes with a piece of cloth or a disk to prevent dust from getting inside;

4.After a few days you will notice that the crystal is growing. In a week it will reach 1 cm, and over time it will increase even more;(this is our next stage)

Be sure to cover the container with the solution and seed with a piece of cloth or disk.You may encounter some difficulties while working. They are easy to overcome by following simple rules.

A large crystal obtained through long-term cultivation.

When exposed to air, the copper sulfate crystal loses some of its moisture, erodes and collapses over time. To avoid this, store it in a tightly closed container in a cool place. Experts advise covering it with colorless varnish - this will create a reliable protective film.

One of the most mysterious and most beautiful creations of nature are crystals. They attract with their unusual shape and amaze with their strength. Have you ever wondered how to grow a crystal at home without resorting to complex technologies and high costs? After all, this is a real experiment that can be carried out without harm to yourself and to environment. This is an interesting, exciting adventure, in the end of which you will receive a crystal as a reward.

There are several ways to grow an exquisite crystal:

  • using salt;
  • sugar crystals;
  • growing a crystal from copper sulfate.

The first two methods are completely safe, so they can be used without resorting to the use of protective equipment. However, in all cases you need to be careful and patient, and then you will receive your unique crystal, which will become a symbol of your efforts and labors.

So, first, let’s learn how to grow a crystal from salt at home and without much effort. To carry out this unusual experiment you will need quite a normal set:

  • water (plain and drinking);
  • pot;
  • 2 glass jars;
  • 1 pack of salt (regular, table);
  • silk thread (as well as wire or lace).

And now we begin our magical actions that will lead us to the treasured crystal.


  1. Select the largest grain of salt from the pack - it will serve as a seed or embryo for the future crystal.

  1. Now let’s be patient, wait and watch how our crystal grows. This will happen within 2-3 weeks. To speed up the growth of the crystal, it is necessary to periodically prepare a new saturated salt solution and immerse the crystal in it.


Growing a crystal from copper sulfate: magic in a glass

Let's look at another incredible way to grow a crystal at home. This time we will get something like a ruby ​​(looking at the shape) and topaz (looking at the color). And the basis for creating this crystal will be copper sulfate, which you can purchased at a farm supply store.

Remember that a substance such as copper sulfate is used in gardening to protect plants from fungi and other diseases, so it is toxic. Take precautions when purchasing and preparing your crystal growing solution. Check the integrity of the package containing copper sulfate. Shake it and examine it carefully, make sure that the powder has a bright blue color and a loose, crumbly structure and does not form lumps. When working with copper sulfate, use non-food containers and protect your hands with rubber gloves. If the substance comes into contact with your skin, wash it with plenty of water.

  1. Now we begin to grow the crystal. To do this, you will need 300 ml of water and 300 g of copper sulfate, 2 jars, a deep bowl, hot water for the water bath and for preparing the solution.

  1. Place the jar in a water bath (in a bowl with hot water) and add 100 grams of copper sulfate. Fill 100 ml hot water .

  1. We wait 10 minutes, and then pour the liquid into the second jar.

  1. Small blue crystals should form at the bottom of the jar, which we will use to seed our future crystal masterpiece.

  1. We select crystals of the correct shape, pull them out with tweezers and dry them.
  1. Prepare a concentrated solution of copper sulfate: gradually dissolve 100 grams in 50-100 ml of hot distilled or drinking water, stirring gradually. If you don’t get a crystal the first time, dissolve the vitriol until small crystals settle at the bottom. Now we pour the solution into a second container and leave it overnight. The next day, crystals for seeding should form at the bottom of the dish.

  1. We make another solution in which we will place our seed. Dissolve 100 g of vitriol in 100 ml of hot water. Pour the solution and cool it.

  1. We tie the seed to the thread and place it in the solution so that it does not touch the bottom and walls of the dish. We tie the second end of the thread to a pencil and place it on top of the jar. Cover the container with paper and leave it in a room with a constant temperature.

  1. We monitor the growth of the crystal. In a week it will look something like this. He has grown by almost 2 cm.

  1. It's time to change the solution so that the crystal grows faster. Prepare the solution according to the recipe from step 2, cool it and place the crystal there.

  1. This crystal is 11 days old.

  1. Change the solution every week to obtain an exquisite crystal.

  1. The minimum time a crystal grows is 14 days., but you can wait longer. For example, this handsome guy is already 22 days old.

  1. But such a miracle will await you in a month.

  1. Results after a month and a half.

  1. And after 52 days your crystal will grow 10 cm! Cover it with clear varnish to make it shiny and durable.

And to complete the picture, we suggest you watch a video about growing a crystal.

Sugar crystal: a tasty and beautiful do-it-yourself treat

Another pleasant and useful project awaits you - growing a crystal from sugar. Learn with the help of a video how to quickly and deliciously prepare your own amazing dessert, which you can treat your friends to at a fabulous tea party.

How to draw a crystal: diagrams for beginner artists

While you are wondering what else you can grow an unusual crystal from, we We offer you several schemes, allowing you to reproduce the crystal structure on paper.

Video: how to grow a crystal at home?

How to grow a crystal at home? If earlier such a question might have been surprising, today most people have seen at least once in their lives what home-grown crystals are, and some have already created such beauty.

The process can be called labor-intensive, and it will take a lot of time, but it can definitely be fascinating, especially since the result is usually impressive. Growing crystals is recommended as a joint activity with children, because young and not so young researchers are very interested in such a pastime.

When you decide to experiment at home for the first time, you should start with the simplest thing, using a product that can be found in any home - sugar. This method is especially recommended for conducting research together with children, especially since they will try the resulting result. How to grow a crystal from sugar?

To do this you will need the following:

The growing process begins with cooking sugar syrup– 1/4 tbsp. water mixed with 2 liters. sugar and keep on the stove until the liquid acquires the consistency of syrup. Then a skewer is dipped in it and sprinkled with sugar. The further beauty of the sugar crystal depends on the uniformity of the sprinkling. Thus, make several blanks and leave them for 8-12 hours until they are completely dry.

Once the skewers are dry, you can begin the next stage. Pour 500 ml of water into a saucepan or ladle and add 2.5 cups of granulated sugar. Then the container is placed on low heat and cooked, stirring continuously, until the mixture becomes syrup. It is important to ensure that the sugar is completely dissolved.

Then add the remaining sugar (2.5 cups) and continue cooking. The syrup is then left to cool for 20 minutes. At this time, you can start preparing the base for the crystals. It is necessary to cut paper circles slightly larger in diameter than the glasses and carefully pierce them with chopsticks. The main thing is that the paper should be tightly fixed on the skewer, since it will act as a holder and serve as a lid for the glass.

Once cooled down, but still hot, the syrup needs to be poured into glasses. And if at this moment you combine it with food coloring, the grown crystal will become colored. Then the stick in the paper is dipped into the sugar mixture and left there until a crystal forms. Afterwards, a similar procedure is repeated with the remaining blanks.

It will not be possible to quickly grow a crystal in this way, since, on average, this process will take 6-8 days. After it is formed, you can admire the result and treat yourself and your children to a beautiful sweet.

How does salt crystallize?

Not only can you use sugar, but it is also possible to grow a crystal from salt at home. This is a fairly simple procedure, which, however, requires patience.

To create it you need the following:

Heat the water in a saucepan without bringing it to a boil, otherwise the experiment will fail. Then salt is slowly added to it, stirring continuously so that each portion of salt is completely dissolved. Salt is added until the water stops dissolving it.

The saline solution is placed in a jar and left for about 20-24 hours. As time passes, various crystalline formations appear in the container, emerging from the salt sediment. You need to choose the one that is prettier and larger, take it out of the jar and tie it on a string.

The remaining solution must be poured into another jar, but so that other crystals do not fall into it. Then a crystal with a tied thread is lowered into it. Afterwards, all you have to do is wait, as the crystal will begin to grow, and within a couple of days a change in its size will be noticeable.

As soon as its growth stops, you can end the experiment or prepare an additional salt solution and repeat the procedure so that the crystal becomes much larger. By the way, you can speed up the process by changing the saline solution more often.

Having learned how to grow a crystal from salt and prepared everything you need, it is worth considering several nuances. Firstly, you cannot cool the solution, chat, or try to color it; coloring will not occur, but the experiment will fail.

Use of copper sulfate for experiment

We will talk about a more complex process that can be carried out at home, but if it is performed by children, then with the obligatory supervision of adults. How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate (aka copper sulfate)?

For the experiment you need to prepare the following components:

When purchasing the last component, it is worth assessing the quality of the substance - the powder has a bright blue color, a uniform consistency, without impurities or lumps.

Pour 100 g of the substance into a container and pour hot water into it in small portions, stirring continuously. The solution is so saturated that the copper salt is unable to dissolve in it.

The liquid is filtered and placed on a shelf in the refrigerator compartment. One night is enough to discover that the bottom of the jar is covered with a large number of crystals. It is worth selecting a pair that is prettier and larger and lowering them into the strained solution, after securing them with thread. The container is covered with paper and all that remains is waiting.

This is the longest experiment, since vitriol crystals grow slowly. It will take more than one week for it to ripen. The crystal is then removed from the jar, rinsed under cool water and coated with a clear nail design coating.

Having learned how to grow a crystal at home, you can immediately start experimenting. And if everything is done correctly, the result will definitely please you.

Copper sulfate has a bright and rich blue color. The crystals made from it are especially beautiful. They can be an original gift for friends and family or become a very interesting activity in creating one. Copper sulfate crystals will become an original decor for the room. So how can you grow them yourself? The basic manufacturing principles are described in this article.

How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate - preparation of material

  • This product is sold in agricultural supply stores. But when using it at home, it is worth remembering that copper sulfate is a toxic drug. It is used to kill pests in fields. Therefore, when working with it, follow safety precautions: work only with rubber gloves, do not inhale the vapors of the solution with it, avoid contact with mucous membranes and eyes. Be sure to wash your hands after each handling of the product and only under running water.

Important! Do not use tap water for this procedure. It contains chlorine, which will react with the product and reduce the quality of the finished crystal. If you don't have distilled water, then use boiled water.

Advice. Since the crystal will be transparent in color, use a thin but strong thread to grow it. It will not be visible in the finished product, but it will support the weight of the decor.

  • When you place the thread in the container, make sure that it does not touch the sides of the container or the bottom. This will disrupt the crystal structure.
  • Since the glass will have to be heated, use it with a thick base or use heat-resistant dishes.

How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate - instructions and methods

  • Today there are two ways to grow crystals from copper sulfate. Although the principle is the same: the gradual formation of growths, the result is crystals with different structures. It will also take different times to grow.
  • The quick method involves the formation of a crystal in a short time. It is suitable for those who do not like to wait and need quick results. The whole process will take about a week. You will grow an elongated crystal with many small branches.
  • If you want to grow a large crystal, then you will need a longer period of time and patience. But you will end up creating an item that looks like a large gemstone.


How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate - a quick option

  • Prepare a container with a volume of half a liter. Pour 200 grams of powder into it and pour 300 ml of warm water. It should be on a sand stove. Mix the mixture well until the grains are completely dissolved.


  • Remove the container from the sand and place it on the table. Let the mixture cool. Tie a piece of vitriol to the thread - this will be the seed. Dip it into the liquid.


  • Make sure that the seed and thread do not touch the walls and bottom of the dish. When the mixture cools, the released salts will settle on the prepared base. For convenience, fasten the thread to a pencil, which you place on the surface of the container. It will hold the thread in a vertical direction.


  • After a day, remove the base and heat the container again. In this case, the powder that has settled to the bottom should completely melt. Cool the mixture and place the thread inside the container again. Cover with a lid and leave for 12 hours. In a day, you will grow a brush of crystals on a thread. Repeat the procedure until the desired size of decoration is formed.


  • For a specific crystal shape, use wire instead of a base. Bend it into any shape, such as a drop, and drop it into the mixture. But it also should not touch the walls and bottom of the container. In a week you will grow such a bright crystal.

Advice. To shape the edges of the crystal, lubricate them with oil if they are not needed to grow in a certain place.


How to grow a crystal from copper sulfate - a long-term option

You will get large crystals with a smooth surface when growing it using a long method. But for this you will need not only a lot of time, but also attention. With this method, the seed is important and small crystals will have to be removed.

  • Mix 110 g of powder with 200 g of warm water. Stir the solution well and set aside. Then stir it periodically until the powder grains are completely dissolved. Filter the resulting mixture. Use a cotton pad or paper filter for this.


  • Wash the container and pour the filtered solution into it.
  • Among the powder crystals, find the largest one with smooth edges. Tie it on a thread and lower it into a container. It should be located strictly vertically inside, without touching the inner surface. Use a cloth to prevent dust and debris from getting into the solution.


  • IN this method no need to take out the thread and heat the mixture. After 10 days the crystal will double in size. Continue growing it until you reach the desired volume.



As you can see, growing a crystal from copper sulfate is not difficult, the main thing is patience and compliance with safety rules.

How to grow a crystal from vitriol?

If you want to instill in your child an interest in natural sciences and at the same time introduce him to the basics of chemistry, invite the child to perform some interesting experiment, for example, to grow crystals from a saturated salt solution. Growing a beautiful bright blue crystal from copper sulfate is not at all difficult, but it takes a long time. Be patient, study our instructions, purchase the necessary reagents and feel free to get down to business.

How to grow a large crystal of copper sulfate

Necessary materials and equipment

  • Half a kilogram package of copper sulfate. Copper sulfate is used to protect plants from pests, as a fertilizer and to treat walls against mold. Therefore, you can find it in construction or hardware stores or in “Garden and Garden” stores.
  • Distilled water - liter bottle. Copper sulfate (in chemistry it is called copper sulfate) is a very active compound, so it should be dissolved in distilled water. Tap water is not suitable for this, since the impurities it contains can react with copper sulfate. You can purchase distilled water at any store that sells car parts.
  • Two glass jars: one liter and half a liter.
  • Glass rod.
  • Rubber seals.
  • Watering can and filter paper.
  • A spool of strong white cotton thread and a very small flat button.

Operating procedure

  1. You should wear rubber gloves and prepare a saturated solution of copper sulfate. In principle, it is possible to accurately calculate the amount of sulfur sulfate that must be dissolved in a given volume of water to obtain such a solution. To do this, you need to know the solubility of vitriol (at 20*C it is equal to 36 g/100 ml) and multiply this indicator by the volume of water used. But since you are unlikely to have laboratory scales on your household, you can do it much simpler - pour about 300 ml of warm water into a liter jar and pour a glass of vitriol into it. Mix the solution thoroughly with a glass rod and set the jar aside for a day. During this time, stir the solution several more times.
  2. The next day, place a watering can on a half-liter jar, put filter paper (or a piece of cotton wool) into it and slowly pass yesterday’s solution through the filter. Drain the solution from the liter jar slowly and carefully - undissolved excess vitriol will remain at the bottom.
  3. Remove the watering can and discard the filter paper. From a saturated solution prepared in this way, small crystals of vitriol will fall out naturally- just dip the tip of the thread into the jar, and after a few hours the first small blue crystals will appear on it. But you want to grow a real big beautiful crystal, so to get it you will have to use one little trick. Just as a pearl in a shell grows around a grain of sand that falls into it, so a crystal in solution must grow around a certain base. As such a base, you can use a small crystal of vitriol (pre-grown) or an ordinary small button.
  4. Tie a button or crystal to the end of the thread, place a glass rod (or pencil) across the neck of the jar. Place the button (or crystal) into the jar so that it is in the center of the solution and does not touch the bottom and walls of the jar. Fix the second free end of the thread - simply tie it to a stick - a crossbar. Cover this entire structure with a gauze napkin to prevent dust from getting into the jar, and place it away from food products, pets and small children.
  5. From time to time, remove the jar, admire the growing crystal and filter the solution.
  6. After a month, when the crystal becomes quite large, remove it from the solution, cut the thread, rinse and dry. If desired, you can coat the crystal with colorless varnish.

Read our article about how to grow a crystal from ordinary kitchen salt.