Making Rock Candy

Making Rock Candy Question/Hypothesis: How does the presence of seed crystals change the growth rate of rock candy? If you add seed crystals to the rock candy than they will grow faster because molecules will attract faster. Procedure: 1. Cut out 6 pieces of yarn. Two strings one inch, two strings two inches, and two strings three inches. 2. Soak one measurement of each string in water for five minutes. 3. Squeeze excess water and roll each onto a tablespoon of water. 4. Lay your sugar coated strings and your lain strings overnight (make sure they don’t touch each other). 5. Prepare your strings without taking any sugar off. 6. Preheat the glass jars and boil enough water to fill both jars. 7. Let the jars sit until the sugar solution water is ready. 8. Add one cup of water to the bowl. 9. Add two cups of sugar to the boiling water 10. Let both cups of sugar completely dissolve for five to ten minutes. 11. Once dissolved let the sugar solution (seed crystals) sit. 12. Pour the hot water out of preheated glass jars. 13. Pour sugar solution into now empty jars. 14. Put jars in a safe spot where they will be undisturbed for one week. 15. Lower each set of strings into jars. 16. Tape the edges of the strings to the jar. 17. Loosely cover the jars with paper towels. 18. Check crystals after one week. Data Analysis: Each day new crystals began forming on the string. The strings with the seed had more crystals every day and by the end of the week the jar with the seed had crystals that were bigger. The crystals on the seed were also formed first then those without the seed. The seed preformed as this “glue” and a “magnet” that stuck the sugar molecules together faster because it attracted them together. Results: The presence of the crystal seeds increased the growth rate and the size of the crystals. The seed crystals acted as an object that would speed up the

Bibliography: 1. Bayle, P. and Linden T. (2001, January 8). Frequently asked questions for students from the North Carolina State University Department of Chemistry x-ray structural facility’s website. Http://www.xray.ncsu.edu/student_faq_xtal.html 2. Helmenstine, A.M. (n.d.). Seed Crystal instructions: How to grow a seed Crystal from about.com chemistry website. Http://Chemistry.about.com/OD/growingcrystals/A/seedcrystals.htm 3. Vernon, Jenifer Rae. Rock candy. Albuquerque, N.M.: West End Press, 2009. Print. 4. Green, Joey. The mad scientist handbook: how to make your own rock candy, antigravity machine, edible glass, rubber eggs, fake blood, green slime, and much, much more. New York: Berkley Pub., 2000. Print. 5. Yanes, Samuel, and Cia Holdorf. Big Rock Candy Mountain; resources for our education. New York: Delacorte Press/Seymour Lawrence, 1971. Print.