How do candy crystals form

This will form your supersaturated solution. Stir until the sugar is dissolved but be careful not to heat the sugar so much that it starts to turn into candy. Keep the temperature right at degrees. Remove the sugar from the heat. STEP 3. Pour your sugar mixture into the jars.

Add edible food coloring to each jar and add some edible glitter. STEP 4. Lower the string into the jar and place the jars in a safe place.

Once the sugar crystals are as big as you want them, remove them from the sugar solution. Lay them on a paper towel or plate and let them dry for several hours. When the sugar crystals are dry, inspect them with a magnifying glass or microscope. How are the crystals similar? How are they different? Awesome, edible science is at your fingertips when you spend some time exploring science in the kitchen with your kids!

Looking for easy to print activities, and inexpensive science experiments? Each little grain or crystal of sugar is made up of lots of individual sugar molecules. The molecules are arranged in a very orderly fashion that gives sugar its shape. Rock candy is made of sugar crystals. The crystals grow bigger than the ones you find in a packet of sugar or the sugar you buy to make cookies.

Please take care when mixing and pouring it. You need to suspend your string into the container without it touching the sides or bottom.

Place the sugar and water into a pan and heat whilst stirring until the sugar has dissolved ask a grown up to help with this part. Leave the mixture to cool for about 15 minutes. Add a few drops of food colouring or edible sparkles if you want, but this is completely optional. Pour the solution into a glass jar and suspend the lolly stick in the sugar solution, we used a fork to hold it in place. A crystal is a solid material with a naturally geometrically regular form.

Some take millions of years to form, such as diamonds. The crystals we made above take just a few days. Most minerals dissolved in water will form crystals given enough time and space. Optional: Add drops of food coloring to your jars. Pour the sugar solution into your jars, leaving some room at the top. Position your strings or skewers in the clean jars as outlined in step 2.

Let your jars sit undisturbed for days. Watch your jars as candy crystals form! For larger candy crystals, put your jars in a dark warm room or the back of the pantry. Did you try this experiment? Tell us your results! Adventure Science Center 75th Anniversary Arboretum. The Good of Trees — 5 ways trees improve our planet. Privacy Policy Sitemap.