Growing A Huge Crystal from Epsom Salt

[@yaboiswig]

This is one I have heard a lot of people describe as too difficult to grow nice large single crystals of. Great job with this!

[@LokiScarletWasHere]

That's because epsom is mostly water. The salt is magnesium sulfate, but epsom salts are magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, or 7 water per magnesium sulfate. To grow crystals of magnesium sulfate, you're going to want anhydrous if you can get it.

[@isntimportant]

Not at all, this is the easiest crystal to grow and is something all children do in science class in the western world.

[@Az_N.S.O.L.]

​@@isntimportant yup, I was going to comment this. 7th grade, over 35 years ago. Damn I feel old 😂

[@cassiemac.8899]

My wife and I did it and turned out wonderfully much love Mahalo 🌺🦋🐞🦋🪷💯♾️🕉️❤️🙏🏽

[@JS-jh4cy]

So what do you do with a big fat crystal?

[@IndianMaidProducts]

Two degrees in chemistry and I'm still enthralled by the processes in this video. Way cool! Thanks!

[@Britephartt]

Two degrees in the same subject. Is that even possible?

[@IndianMaidProducts]

@Britephartt Of course it is. Ever hear a Bachelor's degree; a Master's degree? And there's the PhD degree... Can have Master's and/or PhD in more than one part of the field of chemistry. Or physics. Or math. Or philosophy. Or...

[@Eric-jo8uh]

Fascinating. Thank you for making this video. Appreciated.👍👍🇦🇺🇦🇺

[@dissonantiacognitiva7438]

This is a great episode of breaking epsom

[@HeatherValentineMsFoodie]

😂😂😂

[@cynthiad4443]

😂

[@SweetSunrising]

Breaking Salt

[@persephoneblack888]

My high school chemistry students will looooove this project. I'm always looking for something engaging that we can do with basic items.

[@ChildlesskatLady]

Brilliant 👍. If my chemistry teacher would've done something cool like this... Maybe, just maybe my world would've been different. Sigh. Lol Keep on keepin on & stay safe

[@David-yy7lb]

Thats awesome Next time do a time lapse video of the crystals growing

[@ValuedTeamMember]

After watching this video, how to make crystals became crystal clear. Thank you

[@bpark10001]

There is way to grow continuously. Use tall container with saturated solution & lots of crystals in the bottom. Put in place with stable temperature. Heat whole solution SLIGHTLY. (This makes solution SLIGHTLY unsaturated.) Hang the seed high-up in the container. Cover the top tightly to prevent evaporation. Initially, the seed is slightly dissolved, eliminating crystal dust. Apply gentle heat to the bottom. Temperature gradient will be set up. Salt at the bottom will dissolve & crystal at top will grow. Amount of heat applied controls the growth rate so it can be regulated to be slow & uniform. You can grow until all the salt is used up on the bottom or crystal gets too large.

[@the_crystalverse]

Yup, that works too! But you need some very fine control for the temperature to get clear crystals, so slow evaporation works better for me.

[@bpark10001]

@@the_crystalverse You don't need fine control; you need only fine control of the POWER in the heat you apply. That can be done with resistor & variable power supply. (You DO need fine control of ROOM TEMPERATURE, only to keep it CONSTANT, with ANY crystal growing scheme.) You adjust power to the resistor to get slow growth rate. Once it is set & you get slow rate, you LEAVE IT THERE.

[@bhutjolokia6990]

🤔🤔👀🤭

[@Saleca]

​@@bpark10001showq

[@Roobotics]

​@@bpark10001it honestly sounds like you are trying to control all the external variables in hopes of setting up a perfect equilibrium. The insulating thickness of your vessel could be enough to throw this off, and you might be tweaking the power input for a while until things go stable. I'd measure the middle of the vessel. PID power into the bottom of the container, and wrap a heat dissipator around the top area. Else heat currents rise, so it would actually end up getting hotter at the top minus the containers dissipation factors. So you over-ride them with something more substantial.

[@old_lady_pending]

Love the camera framing you did. Cool to see different shots, and together it made an immensely calming and engaging video. Thanks for sharing!

[@peacefulheart9348]

I’d love to try this. Looks like fun and is very beautiful. Written step by step instructions would be helpful. Thank you for sharing, it’s better than grow rocks.

[@mykec.selene8302]

I've often wondered how to do this. Because I saw a perfectly formed alum crystal in the high school Lab when I was younger. Thank you so very much for your upload. I think I'm going to download the video.

[@SimoncitoReinhardt]

Thank you guys. I had a horrible day, but thanks to you, future looks now less grim!

[@jannovak6987]

I hope your days are better now :)

[@audacyspectrum3612]

There we go, now we know how all these crystals are made of on Ebay!

[@peacefulheart9348]

Exactly what I was thinking

[@DRT-81]

And purchased for click bait videos.

[@HeisenburgLab]

Lovely crystals. You should grow a crystal from an appropriate mix of Chrome Alum (deep purple) and regular Alum depending on colour required.

[@the_crystalverse]

Coming soon ;)

[@MarLindaPerez-s1i]

Wow, impressive! I think they are so beautiful, I would love to try this. Thank you for posting a link. 🥰

[@cjameshuff]

On drying: a quick rinse with alcohol could remove the water from cracks and crevices without risk of damage. Obviously, it's a flammable solvent so take proper precautions. And rubbing alcohol will be less effective, as saturated salt solutions are immiscible with it...denatured alcohol will work better (but take care because some types of denatured alcohol contain large amounts of methanol to make it toxic, instead of a bitterant to make it unpalatable).

[@oOILLUMINATINGOo]

My Son loves crystals🧊and collects them, This would make a excellent Father Son project ☺️ Thank you so much for sharing. God Bless 🙌🏼🙏🏼

[@seanalex4833]

Amazing !!! Also, thank you for posting the music information. Great video.

[@김준서-s5u]

You have great potential for growth like your crystal

[@bryceclemenson7936]

Yes this will be a great experience for my students. And it is relatively quick for an assignment, with noticeable progress daily. Cool Thank you.

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

we used to do something similar in the lab for bladderstone research, creating the purest CaOX. funny detail, thunderstorms and similar weather can affect this process. ahh, good memories:)

[@iammichaeldavis]

How would they effect them? Any interesting or surprising effects?

[@CyberBeep_kenshi]

@iammichaeldavis We were still developing the methods to make standardised tests (a way to predict he number of stones forming per year, for chronic patients). So daily tests with standard values (concentrations etc), plus real tests with patient materials. What we saw were different outcomes seemingly at random. But after 5 years or so our lead scientist discovered a pattern, thunderstorms on the same day, or day before. crystal growth is apparently affected. you would need to google a bit, there are some studies, but that is not my field unfortunately. those were cool tests though, crying caox in urine, but we used a Ca45 isotope. So then you can exctrax the caox, and add it into a liquid that turns the radiation into flashes of light, and there is equipment that can measure that. So then you know how much and fast someone can form stones. not the easiest thing in the world 🤣 trying to put it into words, English is not my main language:)

[@erichanson420]

Sweet, crystals like this would look rad in some sculptures I have in mind.

[@bryceclemenson7936]

And in every kind of LED or blacklight project.

[@clansgaming1012]

I was here before video 5! Also im loving this channel so much, such beautiful work. Inspiring me to go make my own too ❤

[@the_crystalverse]

Ty :) Good luck, and have a great time

[@johnslugger]

*In Mexico they have caves with 900 feet long Sulfate Crystals.*

[@Wizencracker]

Other worldly - saw an article

[@RiehlScience]

This is awesome! Some of the coolest crystals I’ve grown are nickel sulfate and cobalt sulfate. A little toxic, but *incredibly beautiful*

[@the_crystalverse]

They are! Chrome alum is also amazing

[@SakinoBruno]

extremely beautiful and really fast growth! how many solution changes did you perform in the 2 month growth period?

[@the_crystalverse]

Thank you! 3, counting the first transfer of the seed. The bigger the main crystal gets, the slower the other crystals form, so you'll need to change less often

[@Beutelwolf_1987]

You can protect the crystal from moisture with transparent nail polish or hairspray. Magnesium sulphate is very hygroscopic.

[@the_crystalverse]

The anhydrous form is hygroscopic. This is the heptahydrate, so it'll lose water in dry air instead. But nail polish can still prevent it

[@ares395]

I have a weird urge to bite into it. Honestly I should try making crystals at some point, there are so many pretty onces. I love the copper sulfate color. Overall copper can make so many pretty colors.

[@DerpDerp3001]

@@ares395 well I mean ebsom salt is edible.

[@UncleRuckuss]

It's a laxative, small quantities are ok, it's used in magnesium supplements, but if you take more than half a teaspoon, you might have to go quickly to the bathroom.

[@kadzukilucifer5917]

This bitter salt is found in seawater, it is also known as "diarrhea salt" if you take a sip of even pure seawater or bite these crystals, you probably won't be able to leave the toilet and go outside for 1-3 days haha😂😅

[@MattSmith-vr4sr]

Id suggest you stick to sugar crystals my friend

[@cheesesniper473]

Magnesium isnt that kind of diarrhea, its the kind that cleans you out and its done. The problem is the urge can be quite severe and sudden. Theres a reason they say epsom salt baths relax everything. Very readily absorbed through skin as well.

[@mnossy11]

Wow beautiful! Can you show sugar crystals next? Those are fun and delicious!

[@MirlitronOne]

The shape of the crystal directly relates to the arrangement of the ions at the atomic level. The ratio of the size of the large crystal to the relevant ions is of the same order as the ratio of the size of the Earth to that of the large crystal.

[@davidstarr6604]

Can you use food coloring in different batches for different colored crystals? Red, blue, green, yellow, orange and all colors in between? Maybe even black? I'm also guessing you can't let your finished product get wet.

[@LUVNLYF]

I wish the video was a bit more descriptive 🤓... what kind of water? Was it heated?? Was it allowed to cool? Did you change the water? Was the string replaced or tightened during the growth? Do i need all that equipment or can i stir salt in a cup with same result? Lots of questions if we are to attempt from this video alone. Thank you for the inspiration however the information was incomplete if the intention is to teach 🙃

[@aliensarecool123]

Water with Epsom salt,the water was heated because it was put on a heating pad,yes he changed it and the string couldn't be tightened. These questions were straightforward if I could answer them

[@DeepFleeceheart]

I love the echo effect on in-video sounds. I was away from the screen and thought they were artistic percussion elements to the music ^_^

[@gamer_legendrangtang7097]

Might be a silly question but is there any market to sell the big crystals or is this more a science project aspect?

[@leyvarecio3699]

Have you considered something akeen to the czocralsky method of making crystals and hanging the seed from the top just barely touching the solution?

[@the_crystalverse]

Funny thing is it's actually very easy to grow them by accident. Epsom salt likes to form crust on the surface, and crystals start growing downwards. So you'll get a crystal that's flat and kinda hollow at the top.

[@BunnyLang]

Wow, this is beautifully fantastic! Thank you :)

[@MasterKenfucius]

Epsom Salt is cheap too. I'm going to have to try this.

[@nachiketkhare911]

I am so glad I got recommended this video!

[@matthewsermons7247]

I wish I had seen this when I did my science fair project on crystals. I still got an Honorable Mention. P.S. This was, like, 30 years ago.

[@geminisabah]

Try again with a friend!❤😊

[@KeithElliott]

Very interesting! I have a question...if you were to place a few drops of food coloring into the final mix before the crystal starts to grow, would the food coloring dye inhibit the crystal's growth? Secondly, would the food coloring inbue the crystal so that it takes on the color characteristics of the food coloring? Lastly, it would be also intriguing to see the results I just mentioned grow under a black light or UV light. Both might provide colorful outcomes. Thank you for sharing your experiment! Cheers

[@kellyjean4981]

This was fascinating to watch. Thank you

[@9nr]

Crazy part is that this crystal is 51% water

[@HeatherValentineMsFoodie]

😳

[@the_crystalverse]

Yep, there's a cool NileRed video on it. The crystal also loses water and starts turning white when exposed to dry air for some time.

[@lrwerewolf]

You might also try using a polymer clay, such as an epoxy putty, to secure a seed to a base plate that is placed in your beakers. With this technique you would be able to avoid the fishing line inclusion. Once growth is complete, the crystal can be cut away from the epoxy putty and base and the cut surface lightly sanded to create a stable bottom surface.

[@1495978707]

You can also only hold the crystal poking into the solution, and adjust the height as the solution dissolves, so that only bare crystal is grown on, and you can cut off the part outside of solution

[@johnpearce757]

Wouldn't the epoxy putty create more nucleation sites for competing crystals?

[@lrwerewolf]

@@johnpearce757 Possibly; I mentioned 'trying' because I've not had a chance to test it so can't ensure it'd work well. It would depend on how smooth the epoxy could be made to avoid/limit possible nucleation sites.

[@j.lietka9406]

Can a kind of dye or colorant be added so the result is a colored crystal?

[@lrwerewolf]

@@j.lietka9406 depends on the solute and dye. Some dyes can interrupt some crystal formations.

[@daphnefernandez6589]

I managed to grow some in an evaporating dish. You can then proceed to placing the crystal seed in a 100mls measuring cylinder to continue the growth.

[@wandacasper5612]

Thanks. Learned something

[@Peter28148]

Cool! i remember doing this with Shugar lol my dumb brain for a second was like ":0 infinite Epsom salt?!" forgetting that "conservation of matter" exists (for context: its 5:05am rn lol)

[@paganrobertson3194]

Wow... this was cool! Thanks for sharing!

[@sandrareynolds7379]

This was really cool to see. But this seems to be a very long process.❤❤❤❤

[@robb4044]

This is REALLY cool!

[@david.thomas.108]

Beautifully made and interesting video, thanks for sharing 🔮

[@TheDeerInn]

When you were drying it, I would have had it on the floor three times by then. I've heard of growing crystals with Borax, but not Epsom Salts.

[@the_crystalverse]

Borax is easier and more popular, but you can grow bigger ones with Epsom salt

[@MrsB197something]

Wow! You have inspired me and i will try this. Thanks

[@muraliiyer7850]

Good video. Where this crystal is being used and the purpose of this?

[@lindaholt1610]

I'm wondering how fragile it is. And will it dissolve if it comes in contact with a liguid, like a varnish or liquid resin.

[@olgacolonforeversky]

Beautiful. Many blessings

[@SanTahaki]

The Winchesters want your whole stock

[@sourc3C]

Is there any significance of using nylon string as opposed to any other material?

[@chezarctica7386]

Very lovely video. Thank you

[@ShavinMcCrotch]

Throw it in the snow! Fortress of Solitude! ❄️

[@markzambelli]

🤣🦸‍♂

[@canadiangemstones7636]

Great video!

[@origami454]

How hard is it to pull the fishing line out? Any tips on that?

[@KogaNja]

Bro... this was amazing.... Does this mean epison salt is alive?!

[@VictorSantos-ep1it]

AWESOME 😮 and BEAUTIFUL!

[@lmwlmw4468]

Awesome work.

[@BeeReal-vu6kk]

Do they break easily 😊

[@debralynnpaxton5238]

So Cool ! ❤❤❤❤❤

[@aprilrains9921]

Remember this as a science project in high school.

[@devilmecare]

If you don't have fishing line you can use a long hair. Used some of my aunt's gray long hairs.

[@manfredg8410]

Amazing? How long will this piece of Chrystal last outside of the solution, “in the real world”?

[@DangerousArmyGuy]

Looks pretty, but seeing the preview honestly got this quote in mind thanks to a certain video game. “Worthless, but fun to destroy”. - Deep Rock Galactic Miner

[@judybrown6666]

Are are these crystals the same as the crystals from the Earth do they hold the same memories?

[@BurkenProductions]

would have been cool to let it form around an LED at the base to get nice colors from it as a lamp :D

[@CMStrawbridge]

Can you add coloring during the growing process to get different colored crystals?

[@NikolayIslentev]

No, but you can apply colored coating to the final crystal.

[@michaelstudnicki]

Should distilled water be used?

[@the_crystalverse]

I just used tap water. But if the water is very hard at your place, then distilled is better

[@michaelstudnicki]

@@the_crystalverse thank you!

[@garynance988]

If you add food color to the solution, would the crystal be that color?

[@김준서-s5u]

Wow, your video is amazing! Is Epsom salt bad for the body?

[@the_crystalverse]

It's non-toxic. People sometimes also use it as a bath salt

[@HeatherValentineMsFoodie]

Epsom salt is amazing in baths and skin care. You can put it in your hair for that ocean beach look, for bruises, relief of stress and for bodyaches. Some people actually drink it but different than baking soda for tummy ache and heartburn.

[@susanaaschieri543]

So amazing!!! Do you know if it is piezoelectric like quartz?

[@the_crystalverse]

Thanks! No, it's not. But rochelle salt is, and you can grow crystals from it too

[@susanaaschieri543]

@@the_crystalverse Thank you 😍 I love your videos!!!

[@alextv4930]

Is this process replicable with any other materials that is crystalline in nature or is it just salt

[@dragonnoi4385]

I have a question, is it very fragile or just fragile

[@midwestchem368]

There are 128.39g of water inside that one crystal. 128.39ml and if you think of it that way its kind of crazy!

[@the_crystalverse]

Ikr! And you can literally boil it away, although the crystal will turn into powder

[@midwestchem368]

@@the_crystalverse chemistry always has ways to fascinate me!

[@latemanparodius5133]

@@the_crystalverse I wonder, given that water will boil in a vacuum, what would happen to the crystal in a vacuum. Would the trapped water just sublimate? Would it boil as normal? Will the water stay trapped without heat?

[@YouTubeNaziFagsFu]

Does that number account for evaporation?

[@MOOSASAMIKHAN]

We can make crystals from sugar and from regular salt to using the same method

[@CreEpeRneSs125]

Is menthol something you could try?

[@ambercomley9404]

that's neat looking, the large crystal looks like it could be quartz

[@EON_SEVEN]

is it hard as stone or easily breakable?

[@Britephartt]

Isn't it hydrophilic and doesn't go soggy in air?

[@PaulMetzler-c1b]

Can color be added? Perhaps a little copper or nickel?

[@dan2800]

Let's be honest this is great way to compensate

[@NionXenion-gh7rf]

Please try huge crystals of table salt or other Halogenides. There is no such content on YT BTW nice video, thanks, keep it up!

[@the_crystalverse]

Working on it!

[@NionXenion-gh7rf]

@@the_crystalverse Awesome!

[@thexbigxgreen]

If Walter White had never gotten cancer

[@katielyb]

Did you use purified, distilled, or tap water? I think this is an important fact to know. The water where I live is very hard and I think it has caused many of my crystal experiments to fail.

[@Leftylink]

Have you tried colorized water yet? Might be an astonishing result if you use some blue ink. Is the crystal hard enough to shape it? Like if you want the crystal to have a flat bottom to stand on?

[@james_bond1869]

Thank you for the video! Have you found a way to keep the crystals long term? I also have made these and found out over time they dry to a point that the entire crystal will crumble and turn paper white. I experimented with dipping in acrylic coating and it only kept it a bit longer. I also tried keeping them in a sealed glass container but then strange crystal fingers start to form off of the main crystal against the glass and condensation will form on the crystal. It's sad to not have a way to store them or else I would put in the time to make a massive one.

[@the_crystalverse]

Put it in a ziplock bag, and put the ziplock bag into the saturated Epsom salt solution

[@Dead.garden]

Can you do it with brown sugar or just simply cane sugar?. I think it would be fun and you can do a couple different ones with a drop of food day each time you move it and it will develop a small but noticeable color change to the color you pick.

[@the_crystalverse]

Yeah, you can grow sugar crystals too. But unlike Epsom salt, it's harder to get nice transparent crystals with sugar. I'm actually doing a video on that atm.

[@DrDementia]

Catch me gnawing at my salt crystals

[@TDRH]

Ah I've a silly question, how to pull out the fishing line from the crystal, or does it relate to a knot in a hanging crystal step?

[@the_crystalverse]

Just grab the fishing line and pull it out. It's quite slippery

[@RavenMisty-i1o]

Does the crystal taste like salt?

[@MoLena0303]

Is there a way to change the color?

[@Cyber-Crime-FBI]

I love crystals I'm smoking some right now wish I had one the size of yours though

[@Draco301293]

Just a question...why dont your trim the fishing line at the other end when you tie your seed crystal to it? Would it not result in a clearer crystal as there is less interference from the fishing line?

[@the_crystalverse]

Yes, trimming makes it neater. But you shouldn't trim the moment you're trying the crystal, because it makes it more likely for the crystal to fall. So wait a day or two before cutting it away.

[@Draco301293]

@@the_crystalverse ahhhh that makes sense! Thank you for the reply, I look forward to more of your content!

[@schruffy]

Can you cut and reshape it or will it shatter in the attempt...?

[@the_crystalverse]

They're quite brittle, so that won't work. But you might be able to grind it down slowly

[@JustiNourse]

What is the crystal you used and are there any alternatives to using the crystal?