About Labman Expertise I welcome questions from younger people wanting to know how thing work. I am strongest in chemistry, physics, and math. I also have knowledge about nature and dogs.
I will try to explain things you do not understand, but will not do homework assignments.
Experience
I worked for years in the paint and plastic industry. Most of this was as a bench chemist, but I also have experience managing production. I am currently teaching basic math in a community college using computer aided instruction. I read extensively including the National Geographic. The financial magazine I read also covers new technology in depth. Although I have worked in a laboratory many years, my Labman screen name comes from Labrador Retrievers.
Question Hi,
are you a really good scientist?
Cause I have this big Science Fair coming up,
and I want it to be really good.
My Science Fair project is about Crystals.
And I need some help from you
Do you know how crystals are made?
Are there poisonous crystals?
If yes, How is it made?
And can you tell me why there are natural crystals?
Thank you for your help.
^^
Answer Perhaps I am not a really good scientist, but I can answer some questions on crystals.
All of your solids can be divided into crystals and amorphous material. Crystals have an orderly arraignment of their atoms or molecules. Amorphous means without form. Think of a set of building blocks. Carefully stacked, they have the form of a crystal. Jumbled in a heap, they are amorphous. Inorganic materials are nearly always found as crystals. Salt has row after row, layer after layer of alternating sodium and chlorine ions. Sugar is an organic material that also is often found in a crystal. It is made up of sucrose molecules. In a crystal, the 6 carbon chain zig-zags in an orderly way with the hydrogens and hydroxyls all lined up and fitting together.
Most material as they pass from a liquid form to solid, will arrange them selves in an orderly crystal. This is true of both cooling and precipitating from a solution. Since crystals are the usual form for most materials, they are widely found in nature and as both poisonous and non poisonous. Copper sulfate commonly used to be used to demonstrate crystallization. It forms beautiful blue crystals. It is highly toxic, and therefrom may not be used as much now that we are more careful about things. I don't know if students are allowed to experiment with sulfur any more either. Slowly heat yellow sulfur and it turns to a thin yellow liquid. Heat it more and it turns to a thick, clear, red, liquid. Let it cool slowly, and the atoms have time to arrange themselves into the familiar yellow, crystalline solid. Cool it quickly, and and it forms a gummy red solid. Let that set a while, and it slowly reverts to the yellow crystals. Set it on fire, and it burns rapidly producing terrible fumes .Since things in nature usually happen slowly, there are many natural crystals.
Usually when people talk about crystals, they are talking about large clear ones. The more common form are many small ones forming an opaque solid. Glass is often called crystal, but us really a different form of matter. It is amorphous, but transparent, often referred to as a super cooled liquid.
