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Growing crystals
Apparatus needed:
- Test tube
- Stirring rod (long)
- Water bath setup (400cm3 beaker, tripod,
gauze and bunsen burner)
- Spatula
- Microscope and slide
Chemicals:
- Potassium aluminium sulphate
- Sodium chloride
- Potassium nitrate
- Copper sulphate
- Chromium aluminium sulphate
Instructions:
- Set up a water bath using a 400 cm3 beaker
half full of water.
- Measure out 5cm3 of water into a clean test
tube and place the test tube in the water bath to warm up..
- Add a spatula of the solute to be crystallised and if it all dissolves
(with careful stirring) add more solute until some remains undissolved
at the bottom of the test tube.
- Allow any undissolved solid to settle at the bottom of the tube and
withdraw a smal quantity of the solution using a dropping pipette.
- Place one drop of the solution on a microscope slide and watch for
crystal formation through the microscope lens.
- Draw the shape of the crystal produced.
Write up:
| Aim: |
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What do you hope to find out |
| Hypothesis: |
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Not needed in this
case |
| Method: |
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Refer to the instructions and include any changes you
had to make |
| Diagram: |
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Show any assembled apparatus or complex operations carried
out. |
| Results: |
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Tabulated if possible |
| Conclusions: |
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How can you explain your results |
| Evaluation: |
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Do you think that the experiment is adequate for the
aim? Can it be improved? What would you do if you were to do it again? |
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