Charcoal Crystals

Contributor: Kaitlyn Zimmerman. Lesson ID: 12820

Have you ever tried to put a piece of tape on something that is slippery, or maybe a bandage on wet skin? It doesn't work! Yet, you can make crystals on the surface of a mineral that is (yuck) greasy!

categories

Earth Science

subject
Science
learning style
Auditory, Kinesthetic, Visual
personality style
Lion, Otter, Beaver, Golden Retriever
Grade Level
Primary (K-2), Intermediate (3-5)
Lesson Type
Quick Query

Lesson Plan - Get It!

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If you have been to a campground, you may have seen people cooking food over a bed of charcoal. Charcoal can be used for a variety of purposes, including cooking food and even drawing. But did you know that crystals can form on charcoal?

So far in our series on Crystals, you have learned a lot — from what crystals are to how they form.

If you haven't seen the first lesson, find it in the right-hand sidebar under Related Lessons.

You have also learned that crystals can form in different places, from inside jars to the inside of rocks known as geodes! But crystals can also form on a type of rock known as charcoal. You know that crystals can grow in a variety of different environments, but charcoal can be very greasy.

  • Then how can crystals grow on charcoal?

Let’s join Flo to find out how!

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Because of the vinegar, the grease was removed and allowed the formation of crystals to take place on the charcoal! Crystals can grow in different temperatures, but now you have seen that they can grow on different surfaces, too! Growing crystals is interesting and a lot of fun, as you have done numerous times throughout this series.

Continue on to the Got It? section to see if this information has "crystallized" in your head!

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