How to Grow Borax Crystals at Home (DIY)

Growing borax crystals is a fun and easy science experiment that can be done at home with simple materials. Borax is a common household chemical that can be found in most laundry detergents. When borax is dissolved in water, it forms a supersaturated solution, which means that the solution contains more dissolved borax than it can normally hold. When the solution is cooled, the excess borax precipitates out of the solution and forms crystals. 

Here are the steps on how to grow borax crystals

Materials:

• 1 cup of hot water
• 4 tablespoons of borax powder
• A clear glass jar
• A string
• A pencil or popsicle stick
• A pipe cleaner 
• Food coloring (optional) 

Instructions to Grow Borax Crystals

1. Heat the water in a saucepan until it is boiling.
2. Add the borax powder to the hot water and stir until it is completely dissolved.
3. Pour the borax solution into the clear glass jar.
4. Tie the pipe cleaner to the pencil or popsicle stick.
5. Shape the pipe cleaner into the desired shape of your crystal.
6. Tie the string to the pipe cleaner, making sure that the string is long enough to suspend the pipe cleaner in the borax solution.
7. Suspend the pipe cleaner in the borax solution.
8. Let the pipe cleaner sit in the borax solution for 24-48 hours.
9. After 24-48 hours, you should see crystals forming on the pipe cleaner.
10. Let the crystals grow for as long as you want.

Extra Tips:

Here are some tips for growing borax crystals:

• Use distilled water or filtered water to make the borax solution. This will help to prevent the formation of cloudy crystals.
• If the solution starts to get cloudy, you can add more borax powder to clear it up.
• You can use food coloring to add color to your borax crystals.
• The more borax you use, the larger the crystals will be.
  
• Use a clear glass jar so that you can see the crystals forming.
• Make sure that the pipe cleaner is not touching the bottom or sides of the jar. This will prevent the crystals from forming on the pipe cleaner.
• Place the jar in a warm, dark place. This will help the crystals to grow faster.
  
• The warmer the solution, the faster the crystals will grow.
• Be patient! It takes time for the crystals to form.

Photo: teachbesideme.com

Growing Borax Crystals Troubleshooting:

• If your crystals are cloudy, it means that the solution was not clear enough. Try using distilled water or filtered water next time.
• If your crystals are not growing, it means that the solution is not supersaturated. Try adding more borax to the solution.
• If your crystals are growing too fast, it means that the solution is too hot. Try using cooler water next time.