Rainbow Borax Crystals
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What happens when you dissolve Borax in hot water and let it cool overnight? Crystals form along a pipe cleaner shape as the water cools. The dissolved Borax comes out of the water and stacks into solid crystal structures.
You bend pipe cleaners into any shape you like. Then you dip them into a Borax-and-water solution. As the mixture cools, sparkling crystals coat the pipe cleaner. You can add food coloring to create rainbow effects.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that when Borax is dissolved in hot water and cooled, crystals will form.
Science Concepts Learned
Supersaturation
When water is supersaturated, it holds more dissolved material than it normally can — and crystals form as it cools. You dissolve Borax in hot water, then suspend pipe cleaners in the solution. As the mixture cools, the dissolved Borax comes out of the water and stacks into solid crystal structures along the pipe cleaner. After 12 to 24 hours, sparkling crystals coat the shape you bent.
Method & Materials
To make a rainbow crystal, bend rainbow-colored pipe cleaners into a rainbow shape, dissolve Borax in hot water, and pour the solution into a bowl or container. Tie a string to a pencil and balance it on top of the bowl, then suspend the pipe cleaners in the solution. Wait 12-24 hours and observe as crystals grow on the pipe cleaners.
You will need Borax, warm water, string, pencil, colored pipe cleaners (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple), a large bowl, scissors, a cooking pot, and a tablespoon.
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See what’s includedResults
The crystals grew around the colored pipe cleaners and created beautiful, sparkly gems. The most interesting observation was that the crystals grew larger the longer they were left to sit in the solution.
Why do this project?
This science project is unique because it allows you to create your own beautiful crystals in any shape you bend the pipe cleaners into while learning about how solutions can form crystals.
Also Consider
Bend the pipe cleaner into different shapes to make different crystals (see videos for making gemstones and snowflakes!) Try adding food coloring to the solution to see how it affects the color of the crystals. Instead of using pipe cleaners, try using different materials such as feathers or leaves to create a different type of crystal.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
These videos explain the science behind this project and demonstrate key concepts used in the experiment.
Create a large geode crystal using borax, food coloring, and a pipe cleaner!
Bring the winter wonderland indoors and make dazzling snowflake ornaments with just borax and pipe cleaners!
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