This activity is definitely an "adult supervision only" activity. It involves the use of a hot stove and handling hot liquid.
How it works When you mixed the hot water and sugar you made a saturated solution. A solution is saturated when the liquid holds as much of the compound dissolved in it as possible. In this type of solution, the molecules are constantly bumping into each other. As they do this, they sometimes stick to each other. In a saturated solution, the molecules bump into one another frequently because there are so many of them. This begins a crystallization process and is called nucleation. Once several molecules are already stuck together, they attract other molecules to join them. This is a very slow process that makes crystals grow.
As the water cools the sugar is forced out of the water solution. The skewer (and sometines the glass itself) gives the sugar something to grow on. With some luck and a whole lot of patience you will have a tasty scientific treat! Enjoy!
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July 2024
"The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don't tell you what to see." - Alexandra K. Trenfor |