Ask A Scientist Chemistry Archive

Question:
I have a ten year old daughter in 5th grade preparing
for the science fair at her school- wants to study
crystals and how polluted water would effect their growth.
We tried mixing water and epsom salts, pouring the solution
into a glass dish- all we got was a solid creamy mass- couldn't
distinguish crystal shapes at all- any suggestions how
to proceed? Our goal is to be able to see the crystaline
shape with a magnifying glass/microscope.
 la muse

Answer:
Use regular table salt or even sugar and spread the solution to make a
THIN film in the dish.  Let the liquid evaporate and you should see the
crystals appear fairly distinctly.
-Joe Schultz