Make Your Own Magic Rocks Grow a Chemical Garden By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.
D. , About. com Guide See More About: * magic rocks * chemistry projects * crystal recipes * metal salts Magic Rocks are a classic chemistry project that doesn’t take a lot of time to complete. The sodium silicate in the growing solution reacts with the metal salts in the ‘rocks’ of Magic Rocks to produce an underwater chemical garden. Anne Helmenstine More Images (2) Ads Copper Sulfate? www. fondel. com/CopperSulfateFeed and Technical Grade Contact us today! Copper Sulphatewww. cuso4.
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tReliable source, great quality over 25000 tpa availability Liquid sodium silicatepayperclicks. in/saibabachemMfr:Sodium Silicate,Silicate, Liquid Sodium Silicate in all forms Chemistry Ads * Landscape and Garden Design * Home Garden Design * Home and Garden * Landscaping a Garden * Plants Garden Design What Are Magic Rocks? Magic Rocks, sometimes called Chemical Garden or Crystal Garden, are a product that includes a small packet of multicolored ‘rocks’ and some ‘magic solution’. You scatter the rocks at the bottom of a glass container, add the magic solution, and the rocks grow into magical-looking chemical towers within a day.
It’s crystal-growing at its finest for people who prefer not to wait days/weeks for results. After the chemical garden has grown, the magic solution is (carefully) poured off and replaced with water. At this point, the garden can be maintained as a decoration almost indefinitely. Magic rocks tend to be recommended for ages 10+ because the rocks and solution are not edible! However, younger children will also enjoy growing magic rocks, providing they have close adult supervision. How Magic Rocks Work The Magic Rocks are chunks of metal salts that have been stabilized by being dispersed in aluminum hydroxide or alum.
The magic solution is a solution of sodium silicate (Na2SiO3) in water. The metal salts react with the sodium silicate to form the characteristic colored precipitant (chemical towers about 4″ high). Grow Your Own Chemical Garden Magic rocks are available on the Internet and are quite inexpensive, but you can make them yourself. These are the salts used to make magic rocks. Some of the colorants are readily available; most require access to a general chemistry lab. * White – calcium chloride (found on the laundry aisle of some stores) * White – lead (II) nitrate Purple – manganese (II) chloride * Blue – copper (II) sulfate (common chemistry lab chemical, also used for aquaria and as an algicide for pools) * Red – cobalt (II) chloride * Pink – manganese (II) chloride * Orange – iron (III) chloride * Yellow – iron (III) chloride * Green – nickel (II) nitrate Make the garden by placing a thin layer of sand on the bottom of a 600-ml beaker (or equivalent glass container).
Add a mixture consisting of 100-ml sodium silicate solution with 400 ml distilled water. (You can make sodium silicate yourself. ) Add crystals or chunks of the metal salts.
If you add too many ‘rocks’ the solution will turn cloudy and immediate precipitation will occur. A slower precipitation rate will give you a nice chemical garden. Once the garden has grown, you can replace the sodium silicate solution with pure water. Water pH Purpose To determine the pH level of both city water and well water to determine which is more basic and which is more acidic.
Additional information Many people report that well water is better for you than city water. They also report that it tastes better, as well water does not undergo chemical treatment when city water does. Sponsored Links Required materials 2 test tubes or other small container for water collection * 20 pH strips with guide * Journal or logbook * Source of city water * Source of well water * Test tube labels or labeling marker Estimated Experiment Time This experiment will most likely take several hours. Step-By-Step Procedure * 1. Label one of the test tubes “City Water” and make sure you are only using this test tube for that type of water. * 2. Collect one sample of water and use the pH strip to test its pH level.
Record your findings. * 3. Repeat step two with nine more samples of city water, for a total of ten city water samples. * 4.Label the second test tube “Well Water” and make sure you are only using this test tube for that type of water. * 5. Repeat steps two and three for the well water.
Note The pH strips can easily be found at your local home and garden supply store. You can use the same test strips that are used to test the pH of pools or ponds, as long as they are pH testing strips and come with a color guide that allows you to accurately determine the pH level of the water from the used strips. Observation You can tape the test strips in your journal as part of your observation or use them as part of your science fair project display.You can also create a graph of your findings to easily display the pH information of both the city and well water. Result The results of the experiment depend on the information obtained from the pH strips for both types of water. Did one type of water exhibit a higher or lower pH level than the other? If so, how much of a difference was there? Were the pH levels about the same? Based on the information obtained during your experiment, which type of water do you think is the best for drinking? Double Color Flower Purpose To create a double color flower Additional informationN/A Sponsored Links Required materials * 1. White flower with stem and leaves * 2. 2 Glass tumblers * 3.
Blade to slit the flower stem * 4. Red dye (water soluble) * 5. Water Estimated Experiment Time Approximately 10 minutes to set up the apparatus and 5-12 hours to carry out the observations Step-By-Step Procedure * 1. Fill two glasses with water.
* 2. Mix red dye in one of the tumblers. * 3. Split the stem of the white flower. * 4.
Place one half of the stem in one glass and the other in the glass containing the dyed liquid. * 5. Leave the set-up undisturbed for a few hours.Note After a few hours one half of the flower changes its original color. Observation The liquid rises through sap tubes (narrow columns) that produce the required capillary force.
Capillary action carries water from the beakers to the petals of the white flower causing it to change color. It is the same phenomenon that causes water to move up plants and trees, through the roots, trunk or stem, and then into the flowers and leaves. Balloon Rocket Car Purpose To demonstrate Newton’s Third Law of Motion by constructing a balloon-powered rocket car. Additional informationNewton’s Third Law of Motion (law of reciprocal actions) states: “Whenever a particle A exerts a force on another particle B, B simultaneously exerts a force on A with the same magnitude in the opposite direction. The strong form of the law further postulates that these two forces act along the same line. ” This law is often summed up in the very cliche saying “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”.
Sponsored Links Required materials * Large Styrofoam tray to construct the car body and wheels from (or any flat Styrofoam piece) * 4 pins (to serve as wheel axels) Cellophane tape * Flexi-straw * Scissors * Drawing compass * Marker pen * Small to medium party balloon * Ruler Estimated Experiment Time Approximately an hour to construct the car and conduct the experiment Step-By-Step Procedure * 1. Using your ruler, drawing compass, and marker, draw a rectangle on the Styrofoam tray that’s 7. 5cm by 18cm. Draw an additional 4 circles at 7.
5cm in diameter. * 2. Use the scissors to cut the rectangle and 4 circles from the Styrofoam tray. * 3. Stretch the balloon by inflating it several times and letting the air out. * 4.Insert the balloon nozzle over the short end of the flexi-straw (nearest to the bendable section). Secure the balloon nozzle to the straw with tape.
Make sure to seal it tight while ensuring the balloon can be inflated by blowing into the straw. * 5. Tape the straw to the rectangle. To do this properly, place the straw so it’s in the center of the width of the rectangle. Allow the section of the straw with the balloon attached to be raised slightly while the end without the balloon should extend about an inch or two over the rectangle (see illustration) * 6.
Push a pin into the center of the circles and then push into the Styrofoam rectangle to make four wheels. Make sure to leave some room for the wheels to spin (too tight and the wheels won’t rotate). * 7. Inflate the balloon through the straw. Pinch the straw nozzle, place the car on a flat smooth surface, and then release the straw.
Weeeee!!!!! Note If you’re having trouble getting the wheels to stay on, you may need either a thicker piece of Styrofoam or thicker pins. Make sure when inserting the wheels you leave some of the pin sticking out so the wheels don’t slide off.Also, feel free to construct cars of varying shapes and sizes to see how their affected by the experiment. Originality and creativity in car construction is encouraged! Observation Make careful note of the movement of the car in relation to the balloon size. You should record your observations in a journal. Some questions that may be answered are: What happens when the balloon nozzle is released? Can you explain why and how the car is propelled across the floor? Can you explain how Newton’s Third Law is being applied in this project? ResultWhen the straw is released, the car is thrust forward and propelled across the floor.
This project satisfies Newton’s Third Law of Motion of “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction”. In this case, the air escaping through the straw (the thrust) is the action while the car’s propulsion across the room in the opposite direct is the reaction. Egg in a Bottle Purpose To put an egg into a bottle and take it out intact using the properties of air pressure. Additional information Variations in air pressure has widespread effects on every facet of our lives.While this phenomenon governs changes in weather, it also determines a variety of aspects pertaining to aerodynamics which are vital to modern day living. Sponsored Links Required materials * Egg * Bottle * Matchbox and matches Estimated Experiment Time Approximately 15 minutes Step-By-Step Procedure * 1. Boil the egg until it becomes hard-boiled (simmer for approximately 5to 7 minutes after the water comes to a boil) * 2.
Cool and remove the shell of the hard-boiled egg * 3. Place the empty bottle on a flat surface * 4. Drop a burning match into the bottle just before placing the egg on the mouth of the bottleNote Use a bottle with a mouth that is narrower than the girth of the egg. Observation The hard-boiled egg gets sucked into the bottle. On blowing into the bottle holding it upside down so that the egg falls into its neck, the egg pops out. Result The varied effects of variations in air pressure are clearly demonstrated here. By dropping a burning match into the bottle just before placing the boiled egg on its mouth, the flame burns up all the oxygen inside the bottle.
This in turn creates a vacuum inside the bottle that sucks the egg into the bottle.