Rock Candy!! (a chemistry mini project)

How to make rock candy...

You need:
-sugar
-water
-spoon (to mix the sugar and water solution
-hot plate (to heat the sugar and water solution)
-life saver candy
-string
-Popsicle stick
-beaker or jar

Procedure:
-mix sugar and water together and heat at a high temperature until the sugar is dissolved.
-take the string, tie one end to the Popsicle stick and the other end to the life saver (through the hole in the candy)
-coat the hanging string with the life saver with dry sugar.
-pour the sugar and water mixture into the jar or beaker.
-balance the Popsicle stick on top of the jar so the life saver hangs down but DOES NOT touch the bottom of the jar.
-wait, and watch, you should see some crystals that grow in a 3-7 days!

The science of crystals:
Precipitation: The sugar and water solution is supersaturated, meaning there is more solute (sugar) than water. A supersaturated solution is unstable and so the solute is pushed out from the solution and a precipitate forms.

Evaporation: as days past, the water slowly evaporates from the solution, making it more saturated, which forces more sugar to cling to the string. The crystals slowly build on each other until you eventually have your rock candy.

Photo credit: Rachel Kawawaki!!