Day 5 – Crystals in the Kitchen

 

Day 5 – Crystals in the Kitchen

Blog Title: The Crystal World – From Sugar to Salt Under the Microscope

Take a peek at:

• Salt crystals (table salt vs rock salt)

• Sugar (white, brown, icing)

• Epsom salts or citric acid (used in bath bombs)

• Coffee, cocoa, or spices

Bonus: Dissolve and recrystallise sugar or salt and examine the new shapes.

🧂 Biology Blog – The Magic of Microscopes

Day 5: The Crystal World – From Sugar to Salt Under the Microscope

Crystals are all around us—in the kitchen, in our food, even in the bath. But most of the time, we don’t even notice them. Today, we’re zooming in on everyday crystals like sugar and salt to reveal their dazzling geometric beauty.

You don’t need a lab or fancy equipment—just your microscope, a bright light, and a few kitchen staples. Time to discover the hidden order of the crystal world.

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🔍 What You’ll Need

• A low-power or digital microscope

• A slide and coverslip (or a clear tray)

• A selection of crystals:

  • Table salt (sodium chloride)

  • Rock salt

  • Granulated sugar

  • Brown sugar

  • Icing sugar

  • Epsom salts or citric acid (optional)

Tip: For best results, examine both dry and dissolved/recrystallised versions.

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🧊 What Are Crystals, Anyway?

Crystals are solids with a regular, repeating internal structure. This means atoms and molecules are arranged in a precise, orderly pattern—something you can often see under a microscope.

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🔬 What to Look For

🧂 Table Salt

• Sharp, cube-shaped crystals

• Often stacked together or appearing like tiny dice

• Under light, they reflect in sharp, bright glints

🍚 Granulated Sugar

• More irregular shapes, but still angular

• Larger and more transparent than salt

• Sparkle under directional light

🍯 Brown Sugar

• Coated in molasses, so often appears clumped or duller

• Crystals still visible, though more rounded

• Interesting texture contrast compared to white sugar

❄️ Icing Sugar

• Finely ground—looks almost dust-like

• Under magnification, you’ll see tiny fractured shapes

• A good comparison for understanding scale

🛁 Epsom Salts

• Often needle-like or shard-shaped

• Different structure than salt or sugar—more elongated

• Used in bath bombs and science demos

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🧪 Make Your Own Crystals

Try this experiment:

1. Dissolve salt or sugar in warm water until saturated.

2. Leave the solution in a shallow dish to evaporate over a few days.

3. Examine the new crystals you’ve grown under the microscope.
   You’ll see larger, cleaner crystals with beautiful symmetry.

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📸 Photo Tips

• Place dry crystals on black card under a clear slide

• Use side lighting to highlight edges

• Try polarised filters for dramatic colour effects (especially with Epsom salts)

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👨‍🔬 Microscope Log Challenge

Create a comparison table:

Crystal Type	Shape	Colour	Transparency	Notes
Table Salt	Cube	White	Opaque	Very regular
Sugar	Irregular	Clearish	Translucent	Bigger crystals
Epsom Salt	Needle	White	Opaque	Long and jagged

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🧵 Tweet Teaser

Kitchen chemistry under the microscope? Yes please! 🧂🔍
From cube-like salt to sparkling sugar and needle-like Epsom crystals, it’s a mini world of geometry and glitter. #MicroscopeMadness #CrystalsUpClose

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Crystals combine chemistry and beauty in the best way. Tomorrow we’re getting a little hairier—Hair, Fur and Fibres awaits!