Look what I found growing in my Mag!
- Thread starter Acronic
- Start date
disc1
-RT * ln(k)
Yeah, probably so.
What kind of equipment is a Mag? A canister or something like that?
Both magnesium chloride and magnesium sulfate dissolve readily in water.
So it must have become a supersaturated solution.
And the crystal must have grown slowly from a single seed.
From the appearance, if I would have to choose between the sulfate or the chloride, I would go for the sulfate.
Ah OK!
Do you still have that crystal? It should dissolve easily in double the amount of water.
I suspect, as I already mentioned, that the solution got saturated by evaporation or lower temperature.
In that case a somewhat dilution will keep it easier in solution. So adding more water to the magnesium canister.
Do you still have that crystal? It should dissolve easily in double the amount of water.
I suspect, as I already mentioned, that the solution got saturated by evaporation or lower temperature.
In that case a somewhat dilution will keep it easier in solution. So adding more water to the magnesium canister.
LeLutinBanni
New member
Probably kryptonite
I have some from the moon but that is green colored and very expensive/rare.
franklypre
New member
That really is cool, just when you thought you'd seen it all.
Could be calcium sulfate which often precipitates from mixing magnesium chloride and sulfate salts, but the single crystal nature is very unusual, implying very slow crystallization. Habib's evaporation hypothesis seems pretty reasonable as that is a prime way to get big crystals.
You could make him jealous 
. :
Epsom salts are easy to crystallise, quickly growing into a mass of interlocking acicular prisms. Remove a seed crystal and suspend it in another saturated solution, where natural evaporation will lead to continued growth. Large crystals grow reasonably well by this method, although they're usually packed with inclusions. My largest crystal to date is 4.2 cm long and took many weeks to grow. Something I have noticed on the larger crystals I've grown is that the terminal {111} faces tend to develop quite messily as the crystal gets bigger, whereas the prism faces, {110} and {100}, develop very smoothly.
From: http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfbanf/general/crystal.htm
. :Epsom salts are easy to crystallise, quickly growing into a mass of interlocking acicular prisms. Remove a seed crystal and suspend it in another saturated solution, where natural evaporation will lead to continued growth. Large crystals grow reasonably well by this method, although they're usually packed with inclusions. My largest crystal to date is 4.2 cm long and took many weeks to grow. Something I have noticed on the larger crystals I've grown is that the terminal {111} faces tend to develop quite messily as the crystal gets bigger, whereas the prism faces, {110} and {100}, develop very smoothly.
From: http://www.homepages.ucl.ac.uk/~ucfbanf/general/crystal.htm
disc1
-RT * ln(k)
Now Randy, how the heck would you make calcium anything from Mag sulfate and mag chloride?
Reefing alchemy? :lol2:
disc1
-RT * ln(k)
IIRC there is also a red form which had the opposite effect.
Acronic
The Fifth Master
Habib, your synopsis of what's happening make the most sense to me. The container is an open top with a large surface area exposed to the atmosphere. I had no idea that the mix would evaporate and become supersaturated. I will have to keep an eye on this and make tops for the containers.
The crystals are forming at a much more rapid rate than described. Over night the solution has developed a layer of small crystals that float on top. I want to see how big I can make the crystals so I will add the crystal back in the solution. Am I correct that if I ad more water to the solution it will start the process over once the water evaporates?
The crystals are forming at a much more rapid rate than described. Over night the solution has developed a layer of small crystals that float on top. I want to see how big I can make the crystals so I will add the crystal back in the solution. Am I correct that if I ad more water to the solution it will start the process over once the water evaporates?
