Blog

Quick Crystals with Epsom Salt Experiment

Epsom salt is another name for the chemical magnesium sulfate.

How do the Epsom salts crystals grow? Hot water holds more Epsom salts crystals than cold water does. That’s because heated water molecules move farther apart, making room for more of the Epsom salts crystals to dissolve. When no more of the crystals can be dissolved, you have a saturated solution. As this solution cools, the water molecules move closer together again.

Cooling the solution rapidly (in Freezer 10 minutes) encourages fast crystal growth, since there is less room for the dissolved salt in the cooler, denser solution. As the solution cools, the magnesium sulfate atoms run into each other and join together in a crystal structure.

Crystals grown this way will be small, thin, and numerous. Left undisturbed, the crystals should last months or more!

Tips:
* Sometimes it won’t work. That’s why they are called experiments. If you can’t get it to work then add a epsom salt piece in the solution right when you put it in the refrigerator.
* Stir for 2 minutes and put in freezer or refrigerator right after stirring
* Sometimes making the water to hot it will not work. I use very HOT Tap water. You can experiment and microwave the water. Try 45 seconds for one cup
* I see results in 3 hours and even better over night. But the longer you leave them in the refrigerator the better the results. Try making to batches and leave one for a week.