Crystals (from Greek krystallos, initial - ice), solids, atoms or molecules of which form an ordered periodic structure (a crystal lattice).

If you do not have to wait for the weather and the seasons to change, you can grow beautiful crystals of salts in your house in two or three weeks. To do this, you need a glass jar, wire and thread, and a necessary supply of salt, the crystals of which you are going to grow. Very impressive look "homegrown" crystals of copper vitriol bright blue and chromo-kali alum (violet), good and colorless cubes of table salt.

Copper vitriol is used in agriculture to control pests and diseases of plants, in industry in the production of artificial fibers, organic dyes, mineral paints, arsenic chemicals, for ore dressing in flotation, in the blasting of steel, in electroforming, etc.

Copper vitriol can be easily obtained in any store "Everything for the garden and garden."

First, we can prepare the most concentrated solution of the selected salt by adding salt to the beaker with water, until the next portion of salt ceases to dissolve with stirring. After that, lightly heat the mixture to achieve complete dissolution of the salt. To do this, put the glass in a saucepan with warm water.

The resulting concentrated solution is poured into a can or a beaker; There with the help of a wire jumper (you can also make a jumper from the rod of a ballpoint pen) we hang the crystal "seed" on the string - a small crystal of the same salt - so that it is immersed in the solution. On this "seed" and will grow the future exhibit of your collection of crystals.

A beaker with a solution of copper sulfate and a string with a "seed" for growing crystals. Three days after the start of the experiment, a crystal of copper sulfate appeared on the string, resembling a precious stone.

We will place the vessel with the solution open in a warm place. It is necessary to monitor the growth of the crystal every day, in no case raising, turning or shaking the glass with the solution, otherwise this shake will give rise to unplanned, sometimes instantaneous crystallization in the system.

When the crystal grows large enough, we take it out of the solution, with a soft cloth or paper napkin, cut the thread and cover the crystal faces with a colorless varnish to protect it from "weathering" in the air.

This will look like a crystal of copper sulfate, grown from a solution.