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Item No. SM21

Please retain the information in this manual

for future reference.
Colour, designs and decorations may vary

Instruction Manual
from those shown in the photographs.

Printed in China.

AGES 10+
14 Safe, Educational Experiments
WARNING! Not suitable for children under 10 years. For use under adult supervision. Contains some chemicals which present a hazard to health. Read the instructions before use, follow
them and keep them for reference. Do not allow chemicals to come into contact with any part of the body, particularly the mouth and eyes. Keep small children and animals
away from experiments. Keep the experimental set out of reach of children under 10 years old.
 Table of Contents Important Telephone Numbers Safety Goggles continued...
Advice For Supervising Adults 2 Adults – please complete this section before using the kit. • Wash with warm soapy water, rinse and dry with a soft cloth.
First Aid Advice 3
Doctor: • These goggles are only to be used with the contents and instructions supplied.
Safety Rules 3
If goggles become damaged, do not attempt to repair; discard immediately.
Introduction To Crystal Growing 4 Hospital:
Crystal Growing Activities 5-11 • Materials which may come into contact with the wearer’s skin could cause allergic
reactions to susceptible individuals.
Notes 12 First Aid Advice – Chemicals
Water Molecule Models 13 • Goggle markings
Chemicals supplied in this kit: – Edu-Science (HK) Ltd 1 S – EN166 3 S H CE
Advice For Supervising Adults • Monoammonium phosphate mixed with food colouring CE – complies with EN 166
H – intended for small heads
• Read and follow the instructions, the safety rules and the first aid • Aluminium potassium sulphate mixed with food colouring S – intended for protection against droplets or splashes
3 – for use with liquids
information, and keep them for future reference. In case of eye contact: Wash out eye with plenty of water, holding eye open if European standard for Personal Eye Protection
S – increases robustness
• The incorrect use of chemicals can cause injury and damage to health. necessary. Seek immediate medical advice. Optical glass
Manufacturer
Only carry out those experiments that are listed in the instructions. In case of skin contact and burns: Wash affected area with plenty of cold water
• This crystal growing kit is for use only by children over 10 years of age. for at least 10 minutes. Safety Rules
• Because children’s abilities vary so much, even within age groups, If swallowed: Wash out mouth with water, drink some fresh water. Do not induce
• Read and follow these instructions before use, follow them and keep them for reference.
supervising adults should exercise discretion as to which preparations are vomiting. Seek immediate medical advice.
Contents • Keep young children and animals away from the experimental area.
suitable and safe for them. The instructions should enable supervisors to In case of inhalation: Remove person to fresh air.
Includes: assess any experiment to establish its suitability for a particular child. • Store this experimental set and final crystals out of reach of children under 10 years of age.
• Monoammonium phosphate • Tweezers • Goggles In case of skin contact and burns: Wash affected area with plenty of cold water
• The supervising adult should discuss the warnings and safety information for at least 10 minutes. • Clean all equipment after use.
• Aluminium potassium sulphate • Plastic funnel (Goggles for supervising
with the children before commencing the experiments. Particular attention • Wash hands after carrying out experiments.
• 3 petri dishes • Eyedropper adults are not included) In case of doubt seek medical advice without delay. Take the chemical together
should be paid to the safe handling of the materials in the bottles and all
• 5 plastic containers with lids • Thread with the container with you. • Do not eat or drink in the experimental area.
chemical preparations made in the activities.
• 2 plastic moulds • 15 granite base rocks You will also need In case of injury always seek medical advice. • Do not allow chemicals to come into contact with the eyes or mouth.
• 1 large measuring cup with lid • Magnifying glass plaster of paris • The area surrounding the experiment should be kept clear of any
obstructions and away from the storage of food. It should be well lit, NOTE: First aid information may also be found in the instructions for carrying out • Do not use any equipment which has not been supplied with the set or recommended
• 1 small measuring cup with lid • Display stand (not included)
ventilated and close to a water supply. A solid table with a heat resistant the experiment. in the instructions for use.
• 2 measuring spoons • 15 blank labels
top should be provided. • Make sure that all containers are fully closed and properly stored after use.
Crystal Growing Chemicals: Safety Goggles
• A separate tin or bucket should be used for the disposal of solid waste • Ensure that all empty containers and non-reclosable packaging are disposed of properly.
Frosty diamond 150g Orange citrine 40g
materials. Any wasted solution should be poured down a drain but never Instructions for use, storage and maintenance
Rama quartz 150g Pink quartz 40g • Do not apply any substances or solutions to the body.
into a sink. • Hold goggles with one hand, if possible without touching the lens. Pull the elastic head
Red ruby geode 110g Emerald green 40g • Do not grow crystals where food and drink is handled or in bedrooms.
Pink frost 110g Marine blue 40g • Crystal growing is a slow process and requires patience to get good band over the back of your head, just above the ears so that the goggles sit on your
results. TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT, PLEASE NOTE: You should wait forehead. Carefully pull the goggles down over the eyes and adjust the strap for a snug • Take care when handling with hot water and hot solutions.
Yellow geode 110g Lilac geode 40g
Moss geode 110g a minimum of 12 hours for crystals to grow, but better results can be and comfortable fit. Ensure the goggles are kept clean and dry, and cannot come into • Ensure that during growth of the crystal the container with the liquid is out of reach
obtained by waiting for up to a week. contact with loose chemicals or sharp objects. of children under 10 years of age.
2 3
 Introduction To Crystal Growing We’ve included a table on page 12 that you can use to record the results ACTIVITY 2 – Other Common Crystals
of your experiments. Doing this is a good way of remembering the
In this kit, we show you how to make crystals of different shapes, sizes, and colours. You will need:
By experimenting and developing the basic methods, you can create a range of
Isometric Tetragonal experiments that worked well, or those that didn’t, and the reasons why.
Family Family • Table salt
beautiful crystals. However, before we begin, we need to explain what crystals are.
• Epsom salts
Millions of years ago, the Earth was not as we know it now, but a mass of constantly ACTIVITY 1 – Ice Crystals • Clean jam jar
moving hot gases. At some point in time, the gases cooled and formed liquids, some • Pencil
of which cooled further to become solid materials. You will need:
• Paper clip
Crystals are solid materials with atoms or molecules that are arranged in orderly, • Petri dish • Cotton thread
repeating patterns extending in all three dimensions. Non-crystalline (or amorphous) • Water
materials don’t have this orderly structure. A fundamental property of crystals is their
Recipes for salt solutions:
geometric symmetry. There are 6 different symmetrical shapes used to classify Method:
crystals: Table salt: 5 tablespoons of salt to 6 tablespoons of water
Pour a small amount of water into the petri dish and place this in the freezer compartment
Epsom salts: 5 tablespoons of Espsom salts to 6 tablespoons of water
of a fridge/freezer. Check regularly for the formation of ice crystals in the dish. Look
• Cubic – all sides are equal and at right angles to one another Monoclinic Triclinic closely with your magnifying glass – they should look just like snowflakes!
• Tetragonal – this is a cube that has been stretched in one dimension, Family Family Method:
so the base is square, but the sides are rectangular Use a jam jar to prepare one of the two solutions. Add the correct amount of hot water
• Monoclinic – the base is a parallelogram instead of square, but the sides from the tap to the jar, and then gradually add the table salt or Epsom salts. Add the salt
are rectangular etc. gradually, stirring well each time, and waiting until it has disappeared before adding
more. Keep adding it until it is not possible to dissolve any more salt in the water, and
• Triclinic – both the sides and base are formed from parallelograms
there is a small amount left in the bottom of the jar. You have made a saturated solution,
• Hexagonal – the base is a hexagon and the sides are rectangular from which you can grow crystals.
• Orthombic – similar to a cubic lattice, but one that has been stretched Take the pencil and tie a piece of cotton to it, and then attach a paper clip to the free end
in two dimensions, so the length, width and height are all different of the cotton to hold it down in the solution. Balance the pencil on the rim of the jam jar
with the paper clip immersed in the solution
and cover. Allow to cool and leave
Our kit uses two types of chemicals for growing chemicals: monoammonium
Hexagonal Orthombic undisturbed for a day or two. Watch
phosphate, which forms tetragonal crystals, and aluminium potassium sulphate,
Family Family the formation of crystals on the cotton
which forms monoclinic crystals.
and check the shape of the crystals
with your magnifying glass.

Salt crystals growing on string

Please note: drawings underneath show the shape of the base of the crystals.
4 5
 ACTIVITY 3 – Preparing a Monoammonium ACTIVITY 4 – Preparing an Aluminium Potassium ACTIVITY 5 – Growing a Crystal From a Seed Crystal ACTIVITY 6 – Growing Crystals On a Pebble
Phosphate Solution Sulphate Solution
You will need: You will need:
You will need: You will need: • Prepared crystal growing solution (from activity 3 or 4) • Prepared crystal growing solution (from activity 3 or 4)
• Orange citrine, Pink quartz, Emerald green, Marine blue, Lilac geode or •Frosty diamond, Red ruby geode, Pink frost, Yellow geode or Moss geode crystal • Thread • Granite base stone
Rama quartz crystal growing powders growing powders • Pencil • Thread
• Small/large measuring cup • Small/large measuring cup • Plastic container • Pencil
• Clean jam jar • Tweezers
• Clean jam jar
• Clean jam jar
Method:
Recipes for crystal growing solutions: Recipes for crystal growing solutions: Prepare a solution in a jam jar, as detailed in activity 3 or 4. Suspend the granite base
The proportions are: Method: stone in the solution using the thread and pencil. Instead of growing around another seed
The proportions are:
Pour some of the prepared crystal growing solution into one of the petri dishes from the crystal, the crystals will grow on the granite base stone.
7cc (12g) powder to 20cc (20g) water 6cc (10g) powder to 20cc (20g) water
kit, cover and leave for at least 24 hours. Some crystals should have formed. Using your You may find that crystals form in the bottom of the jar as well as on the pebble. If this
22cc (40g) powder to 70cc (70g) water 30cc (52g) powder to 100cc (100g) water
tweezers, very carefully pick up one of the larger crystals, dry it on a paper towel and tie happens, remove the pebble and re-heat the solution until the crystals dissolve. Allow to
it to a thread. You can do this by making a loop at the end of a piece of cotton and gently cool, then put the pebble back into the jar.
Method: Method: catching the crystal in the loop. You will use this “seed” crystal as a starting point for
Measure the correct amount of water into the jam jar, and add the corresponding Measure the correct amount of water into the jam jar, and add the corresponding amount growing a larger crystal.
amount of crystal growing powder. Heat the solution using either a microwave oven of crystal powder. Heat the solution using either a microwave oven or by placing the jar Prepare another solution of the same type, but of a different colour. Attach the other end
or by placing the jar in a pan of hot water (the level of the water should be the same in a pan of hot water (the level of the water should be the same as in the jar). DO NOT of the thread to a pencil and immerse the seed crystal in the solution, with the pencil
as in the jar). DO NOT LET THE SOLUTION BOIL – gradually heat and stir the LET THE SOLUTION BOIL – gradually heat and stir the solution until the crystal growing balanced on the rim of the jar. Adjust the length of the thread so the crystal is under the
solution until the crystal growing powder is fully dissolved. Allow the solution powder is fully dissolved. Allow the solution to cool. solution but does not touch the walls of the jar. Cover the jar and leave for 12 to 24 hours
to cool.
– you should see that the crystal is growing.

Examples: Examples:

Emerald Green Orange Citrine Lilac Geode Moss Geode Frosty Diamond Red Ruby Geode
Crystal Crystal Crystal Crystal Crystal Crystal

6 7
 ACTIVITY 7 – Moulded Crystals ACTIVITY 8 – Making Jewellery/Ornaments ACTIVITY 9 – Making a Crystal Garden ACTIVITY 10 – Creating Stalactites and Stalagmites
You will need: You will need: You will need: You will need:
• Prepared crystal growing solution (from activity 4 or 5) • Lids from measuring cups • Lids from plastic containers • 2 clean jam jars
• Small plastic moulds • Plaster of Paris – not included • Plaster of Paris – not included • Old baking tray or aluminium takeaway dish
• Crystals grown from previous experiments • Crystals grown from previous experiments • Strip of cotton cloth (preferably terry towelling) 3cm wide x 40cm long
• Cooking oil (for coating the inside of the lid) • Cooking oil (for coating the inside of the lid) • 12 tablespoons washing soda (sodium carbonate)
Method: • Eyedropper • Eyedropper
Prepare a solution in a jam jar as detailed in activity 4 or 5. Fill the plastic moulds • Tweezers • Tweezers
with the solution and leave for 24 to 36 hours. The crystals will set in the shape of Method:
the mould. You will need to top up the mould with solution as the crystals grow and Pour one cup of hot water into each jar and add half of the washing soda to each. Insert
the liquid evaporates. When all of the liquid has evaporated and the crystals are fully Method: Method: the ends of the cloth into each of the jars, making sure that the ends reach the bottom of
formed, gently take the crystals out of the mould and place on your display stand. Coat the inside of the lid with a thin layer of cooking oil to prevent the plaster from Prepare a plaster base with one of the lids from the plastic containers. Using your the jars. Place the jars in the baking tray and move the tray to a warm place, well out of
sticking. Place a tablespoon of plaster powder in a small plastic container and use the collection of crystals, embed them into the still soft plaster to create a crystal garden. the reach of small children and pets. Wait several days and you will see that the solution
eyedropper to gradually add drops of water to the plaster. Use a matchstick to mix the Use adhesive to attach crystals, beads and pebbles to the embedded crystals to add starts to drip and a column begins to form.
plaster and water until it has the consistency of a thick pudding. Pour the mixture into the a further dimension to your garden.
lid and spread evenly to make the plaster base. Use your tweezers to place the crystal on
to the plaster. Leave for two to three hours until the plaster sets. Gently press the bottom
Moulds of the lid to release the plaster cast.

Stalactites and Stalagmites

8 9
 ACTIVITY 11 – Growing Crystals in a Rapidly ACTIVITY 12 – Growing Crystals in a Slow Cooled Solution ACTIVITY 14 – Modelling The Structure of a Crystal
Cooled Solution
You will need: You will need:
You will need: • Prepared crystal growing solution (from activity 4 or 5) • Models of water molecules (cut out from last page of manual)
• Prepared crystal growing solution (from activity 4 or 5) • Granite base stone or seed crystal
• Granite base stone or seed crystal • Thread
Method:
• Thread • Pencil
• Pencil
Example: A crystal structure consists of atoms or molecules connected in an organised and
repetitive series, packed together as closely as possible. We can illustrate this using the
Method: example of the water molecule, which consists of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen
Method: Try to make the solution atom, better known by the chemical formula H20. The water molecule looks like this:
Place the container with your solution in a bowl of ice cubes and see what happens. cool slowly. Either place
Record your observations. the container with your The oxygen atom has two negative charges, and each
solution somewhere warm, hydrogen atom a positive charge – they join together to
Example: or place it in an insulated form a neutral molecule of water. At room temperature,
(e.g. polystyrene) container the water molecules move around quite freely, so they
with a lid. Record your are not arranged in any particular way. However, as water
observations. is cooled, the molecules move less and less, until they
reach the freezing point, when the molecules are packed
Marine Blue Crystal as closely together as possible. Unfortunately, because
Now get someone else to try. In order to get the molecules as closely together as possible,
the atoms in the molecules have positive and negative
Molecule of water you will find that they will make a very similar pattern to your own. This is the basis of
charges, they will only fit together in a certain way –
ACTIVITY 13 – Growing a Large Crystal remember, like charges repel each other.
crystal formation – for any particular atom or molecule, a particular set of rules must be
followed in order to get them to fit together.
Method: Example:
Cut out the models of the water molecules and try to fit them together as closely as
Try growing as large a crystal as Hints & Tips Section
possible. In figure C opposite, the two ends will not hold together, since both have the
possible by repeatedly immersing a same (negative) charge – they would repel. Likewise, in figure D everything is fine at the
crystal in a new saturated solution. • If you are having trouble dissolving the crystal growing powder (salt), try adding a small
top (since there are positive and negative charges together), but not at the bottom (there
amount of water to the solution.
are two positive charges close together). Assemble all of the molecules and check that
everything is correct. • If a large number of small crystals have formed in the base of the jar, remove the seed
pebble. Reheat the solution and stir until all of the crystals have dissolved. Allow to
cool, and put the seed pebble back in the solution.
• If the crystal is not growing, move the solution to a cooler room.
Rama Quartz Crystal

Yellow Geode Crystal

10 11
 Here is an extra page of notes

Chemical Grams ML Date Time Size Time Size Time Size

12 13
 Notes: Notes:

14 15