Courtney McIntosh-Peters

Teacher’s Instructions for Jordan’s Mother’s Day Gift

Crystals – Grades K-2 (30 minutes)

Solubility and Crystals - Grades 3-6 (1 hour)

Summary

Students will learn about solubility and how it differs for all materials. They will learn that the water evaporates from the Epsom salt/water mixture and leaves the salt behind, it is not very soluble. The students will make crystals using things that they can buy from the store. They can make different color crystals and different shapes. The crystals are formed on the poster board when the water evaporates leaving only the Epsom salt.

Materials

Solubility

300 milliliters distilled water, 3 plastic spoons, 50 grams table salt, 50 grams Epsom salt, 50 grams sugar

Crystals

Poster boards, scissors, magnifying glass, yarn or string, plastic cup, cotton swabs, water, glitter, Epsom salts, pencils

If you do not have poster boards, you can use construction paper, index cards, and glue.

Procedure for Solubility

  1. Fill each cup with 100 mL distilled water.
  2. Add a tiny amount of one of the solutes to the beaker.
  3. Stir until dissolved.
  4. When the solute no longer dissolves, weigh the remaining amount of the solute.
  5. Record results.
  6. Repeat for other solutes.
  7. Compare solubility of each solute.

Procedure for Crystals

  1. Add 3 tablespoons of Epsom salts to ¼ cup of hot water.
  2. Draw a shape on the poster board and cut it out.

2a). If you use construction paper and index cards, draw the shape on the index card and cut it out. Cut the shape out of the construction paper using the index card.

2b). Glue the construction paper to the index card.

  1. Paint the poster board (or construction paper) shape with Epsom salt/water mixture. Let dry.
  2. Punch hole in shape and tie the yarn through the hole so that the crystal becomes a necklace.

References

  • Bennett, A. and Kessler, J. H. and Kessler, J.H. (1996) Apples, Bubbles, and Crystals: Your Science ABCs
  • Fun Middle School Science Experiments. 12 January 2012

Name:

Date:

Jordan’s Mother’s Day Present – Third through Sixth Grade

Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and Jordan has not gotten a present yet. His dad is on a fishing trip and will not come back until later tonight. He did not want to ask his mom to drive him to the mall because then she would know that he waited until the last minute to buy a present. He remembered that in science class he was learning about crystals and decided that would be an awesome present.

Chemical Concept

Solubility is how efficiently something dissolves in something else. In order to make the crystals, we need to decide which solid is the least soluble in water.

We need to find the least soluble solid between Epsom salts, table salt, and sugar.

You will be split up into groups to determine the solubility of one solid in water. The solid that is being added to the water is the solute and the water is the solvent. The solute is the material that is being dissolved and the solvent is the liquid that the material is being dissolved in.

Materials

Cups, 300 milliliters of water, 50 grams Epsom salts, 50 grams of table salt, 50 grams of sugar, spoons

Procedure

  1. Fill a cup with 100 mL water.
  2. Measure out 50 g of Epsom salts, 50 g of table salt, and 50 g of sugar.
  3. Add a tiny amount of the solute into the water.
  4. Stir until dissolved.
  5. When you stir and realize that the solid is now sinking to the bottom of the cup rather than mixing with the water, weigh the remaining amount of solute.
  6. Record your results.
  7. Repeat with the other solutes.
  8. Compare solubility of each solute.

Solute / Amount Left (g)

In order to determine which solid is the most soluble, you need to see which solid has the least amount left in the cup. The least soluble solid will has the most amounts left in the cup. Using the information that you just wrote in the above tables, answer the following questions.

  1. Which solute is the most soluble?
  1. Which solute is the least soluble?

Crystals are made up of molecules that arrange themselves into a pattern that repeats itself. This pattern extends into the third dimension.

We will now make crystals using the Epsom salt/water mixture.

Materials

Poster boards, scissors, magnifying glass, yarn, plastic cup, cotton swabs, water, glitter, Epsom salts, pencils

Procedure

  1. Add 3 tablespoons of Epsom salts to ¼ cup of hot water and stir. Add glitter if you want.
  2. Draw a shape on the poster board and cut it out.
  3. Paint the poster board with the Epsom salt-water mixture using a cotton swab. Let dry.
  4. Punch hole in the shape and tie yarn through the hole to make a necklace.

Now you have a Mother’s Day gift.

Using a magnifying glass you can see the crystals that the Epsom salt left on the poster board. The Epsom salt forms the crystals when the water dries and evaporates into the air.

You can make different shaped crystals.

You need hot water to dissolve the Epsom salts rather than cold water because when the temperature is higher, molecules move faster. Because the molecules move faster, they dissolve quicker and more efficiently.

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