Super Saturated Snow Crystals

The Whole Enchilada!!!

Here’s What We’re Doing

Create Your Snowflake

1.Observe2.Photograph

3.Write a sceneon the

Science behindIt’s formation

Create a Digital storyin Tech and a podcast.

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Your Mission Today

• Create a Super Saturated Solution!!

• Grow borax crystals and observe their formation and crystal shapes.

Questions to Ponder???• Do the crystals grow separately, or do they

often grow together?

• What color are your crystals? Are they shiny? Do the surfaces look flat or a little curved?

• Why did we use hot water to dissolve the borax? Why did it form crystals, as it cooled down? Did it help that the water was evaporating?

• What would happen if you put your borax crystals back into some hot water?

Borax

sodium tetra borate decahydrate

What are Crystals?What are Crystals?• http://www.visuwords.com/

• A crystal is: a solid with a definite geometric shape.

• It consists of various atoms and molecules arranged in a uniform repeating pattern.

• They can be big or small. They all have the same shape.

Definition of Crystal

•A solid with a definite geometric shape.

smooth, flat surfaces that meet in sharp edges or corners.

Salt crystals

Sugar crystals

How do crystals form?• Solvent- what matter is dissolved in. • ex. Water.• • Solute - dissolved matter in a solution• Ex. Salt, sugar, ice tea mix.

• Solution-a uniform mixture of two or more substances. Ex. The ice tea mix dissolve in water.

• a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent = solution

Solute…Borax

Solvent…water

Solution…Borax+ water

SOLUBILITY• SOLUBILITY is the ability of a substance to

dissolve. The amount of a substance (solute) that can be dissolved in a given amount of solvent.

• The solubility of a substance is the maximum amount of the solute that can be dissolved in given quantity of solvent.

• The resulting solution is called a saturated solution. Or a super saturated solution!

•A solvent (water) can only hold a certain amount of solute.

•This is called the SOLUBILITY of a solution.

• We use heated water because the increase in temperature helps dissolve more solid substance than cold water.

• Why? Because heated molecules move farther apart.

• They make room for more solid substances to dissolve.

• When no more of the solid substance can be dissolved the solution is said to be

• SATURATED.• You will be creating a Super

Saturated Solution!

• As the solution cools the water molecules move closer together again and there’s less room for the solution to hold onto as much of the dissolved substance.

Your Photostory• 250 word story about a crystal. How it came to

be, what it’s made of, etc.

• Use your imagination. Make it fun and whimsical. Can be a fairy tale, science fiction, advertisement, TV program etc.

• Must use all vocabulary about crystal; the list is on the back of your science rubric.

Solution, solvent, solute, saturated, super saturated, borax, water,dissolved, etc.

Two Grades

• One for lab, crystal, how you worked with your partner, and your story with science information

• Technology grade for photostory.

• You will have a rubric for the science part and a rubric for the tech. part.

Materials.

• Borax (3 tabs./1 cup of water)• Boiling Water• Beaker• Table spoon• Pipe cleaners• String• Scissors• Wooden dowel or stick• Food coloring…optional

Procedure1. Label your beaker with masking tape and

names so you can find it again. 2. Take 2 or 3 pipe-cleaners.

3. Twist the pipe cleaners together to make a snow flake. Cut the ends to make them even.

4. Tie the string around one of the pipe cleaners. Tie the other end of the string stick.

• 5. Make sure the snowflake hangs and dangles inside the beaker. It must not touch the bottom of the beaker.

• 6. Make sure the snowflake is not in the beaker when you pour boiling water into the beaker. (SAFETY PRECAUTION!!)

• 7. add the Borax to the hot water in the beaker

8. Keep adding Borax 1 tablespoon at a time until you have supersaturated the solution.

HINT: You will see undissolved Borax at the bottom of the jar.

Rule of Thumb 3 TABS. OF BORAX TO 1 CUP OF WATER.

optional; blue food coloring.

When You’re Finished• Clean up. All materials back when they

belong. Part of your grade!

• Label your Beaker…tape/names. Put beaker in designated area. Cart or window sill.

• Lab Note section: record data: materials/procedure

Grade

•Completeness of lab notes.

•Following of directions for lab.

•Story content for digital story-telling.

ObservationsYour Data Collection in your lab section

•Date!!!! •Written description•Sketch•Temperature of Water

Pre-Lab

• Partners• Preview materials/procedures• Group assessment survey• Use of labquest• WallWisher: exit slip• Tuesday homework: Write draft of

script.