Jump to content

Silicate Demonstrations


~TheAlchemist~

Recommended Posts

From wikipedia:

When crystals of a number of metallic salts are dropped into a solution of water glass, simple or branching stalagmites of coloured metal silicates are formed. This phenomenon has been used by manufacturers of toys and chemistry sets to provide instructive enjoyment to many generations of children from the early 20th century until the present. An early mention of crystals of metallic salts forming a "chemical garden" in sodium silicate is found in the 1946 Modern Mechanix magazine. Metal salts used included the sulfates and/or chlorides of copper, cobalt, iron, nickel, and manganese.

(Water glass = Sodium Silicate.)

Edited by Manticore
Link to comment
Share on other sites

It's not quite what you were thinking of, but the bulk of the Earth is made of silicates. Perhaps a simple display of the minerals of Bowen's Continuous and Discontinuous Reaction Series would let you talk about how the "versatility" of silicon bonding permits a diverse array of minerals that then form many of the metamorphic and most of the igneous rocks encountered in the crust (not to mention the mantle). This lets you provide an introduction to crytalography.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.