INTERACTIVE PRESENTATION: CRYSTAL GROWTH UNDER THE MICROSCOPE

The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate how crystals can be grown under a microscope so that students can observe crystal growth. Participants will cool supersaturated solutions of several salts in different crystal systems using a student monocular microscope. They will observe similarities and differences of salt crystals as they grow. After observing crystal growth of selected salts, students will be able to answer the following questions: Do all crystals have the same shape? Does the chemical formula influence the shape of the crystals formed? How does time influecne the size of crystals grown? With the addition of a polarizing microscope, optic axes can be explored. This lab exercise can be related to crystal growth in ingeous rocks and mineral classification. Students will find the exercise to be engaging.