What is crystal?

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When some people hear the word, “crystal,” they think of really nice dinner glasses that sparkle in the light. Other people think of big gemstones, like diamonds or amethyst. Others think of Superman’s Fortress of Solitude that is made up of giantic crystals.

A crystal is a special type of solid material. If something is solid, it means it keeps its size and shape. It doesn’t pour like a liquid, or flow in the air like a gas. In crystal, the atoms or tiny pieces that make up all matter, are arranged very regularly. It’s an example of a pattern in nature. The arrangement repeats!

These patterns begin on a microscopic level that is too small to see, but they affect the shape of the crystals that we do see. They can be cubes, like grains of salt. They might also be hexagons, like the ice crystals that make up snowflakes. They can grow to be quite large too! There are some gypsum crystals in Mexico that take the form of beams and are over 36 feet long! Because the patterns of the atoms are so regular, they make for some of the most beautiful shapes found in nature.

Many metals come in crystal form, and so do many minerals. A type of solid that has no repeating pattern of its atoms is called “amorphous.” Wax is a type of amorphous solid. Its atoms don’t have a repeating structure, so it can take on any form. 

Making Crystals (that are tasty!)

Have you ever had rock candy? It’s actually a type of crystal made from sugar. It’s a tasty way to see the regular shapes that crystals can make. It will also give you some clues to how crystals are formed.

You’ll need some string, a glass jar, 2 cups of sugar, 1 cup of water, and a grown-up to help.

First wet the string and dip it the sugar. Next, have the grown-up heat the water and add the sugar, stirring it until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool before you pour it into the jar. Fill the jar with your sugar-water and hang the string down inside of it. Tape the string to the outside edge of the jar, or use a jar lid to hold it in place. 

Now, you wait.

The dissolved sugar is traveling around in the water, and when it finds another piece of sugar, the two cling together. As more and more cling together they will form crystals with the sugar that is on your string. In about a week you should have some pretty impressive crystals to look at. And you can eat them!

Posted by  scran09  on 2011-03-31 22:12:24  

my daughter looooooves crystals and shiny looking gems jewels. this was perfect, thx ;-)