Taiwan – Paraguay Polytechnic University
Report of the crystallization experiment
Eng. Materials
Student: Giuliana Brizuela
3rd semester
Prof. Lincy Vargheese
T.A. Magdalena Espínola
2024
Asuncion – Paraguay
INTRODUCTION:
In this project, we will create crystals from scratch, in this case with borax, and observe the
process called crystallization.
This simple but engaging activity demonstrates fundamental principles of chemistry, such as
solubility and crystallization, in a practical and visually appealing way. Borax, a common
household product, acts as a key ingredient in this process, dissolving in hot water and then
forming intricate crystalline structures as the solution cools and evaporates. This experiment not
only provides a beautiful end product, but also offers valuable insights into the natural world of
crystals and their formation.
OBJECTIVE:
Create crystals from scratch, observe and study their formation during the required time of
crystal formation.
MATERIALS:
220gr of Borax
2 units of piper cleaner
800ml of water
A container.
PROCEDURE:
First, we measure the amount of borax and water that we are gonna use. Then, we start heating
the water, it is important that it does not reach the boiling point.
Then add the borax a little at a time, not all 220gr at once, mix until it dissolves.
We take the pipe cleaner and give it the desired shape, then we tie the pipe cleaner to one end
of the thread and, at the other end of the thread, we tie it to a stick or a pencil. This pencil will
serve us so that the pipe cleaner does not touch the bottom of the container.
(Some shapes that can be used)
Once, done the previous step, we introduce the pipe cleaner in the container with the mixture of
water and borax, to leave one night.
(Solution after 4 hours)
(Crystal and the solution after one night)
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION:
Final result:
This crystallization process is really fast, compared to crystallizing sugar which takes at least a
week to form the same crystals that form in one night with sodium borate or borax.
The more saturated the water is with borax, that is, the more borax we add to the water, the
bigger the crystals will be if we take as a reference the time of one night (18 hours).
We can give colors to the crystals if we use colorants, but the colorant must be in gel, since if
we use a liquid one the crystal will not acquire the color.
We can observe that the weight of one pipe cleaner is rounding the 0.83g.
So, to find the weight of the crystal formed we do: 64.7−0.83=63.87 g
CONCLUSION:
In this experiment, we aimed to form borax crystals by dissolving 220 grams of borax in 800
milliliters of hot water to create a saturated solution. After allowing the solution to cool and the
crystals to form, we collected and dried the crystals, which had a final weight of 63.87 grams.
From these measurements, we calculated the percentage yield of the crystallization process as
follows:
weight of the crystal
yield ( % )= × 100 %
initial amount of borax
63.87 g
yield ( % )= ×100 %=29.03 %
220 g
This result indicates that approximately 29.03% of the initial borax used was successfully
converted into crystal form. Several factors could have influenced this yield, such as the
efficiency of the crystallization process, the conditions under which the crystals were formed
(temperature, cooling rate, and disturbances), and the saturation level of the solution.
Observing the saturation level: Using 220 grams of borax in 800 milliliters of water should
ensure a saturated solution, providing an adequate amount of borax for crystal formation.
Observing the crystallization conditions: The yield of 29.03% suggests that while a significant
portion of the borax crystallized, there might have been some losses due to factors like
incomplete crystallization, crystals remaining in the solution, or losses during collection.
Overall, this experiment successfully demonstrated the process of borax crystallization,
providing a tangible and visually appealing end product while highlighting areas for further
refinement to improve yield efficiency.
