Look what I found growing in my Mag!

[Acronic]

this is cool! I dont get what is happening, this is beyond my chemistry knowledge. My best guess is some sodium bicarbonate got into my mag mix of mag chloride and mag sulfate and this was the end result... What do you guys think is happening?

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2436.jpg

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2439.jpg

[bertoni]

I'm going to guess magnesium chloride crystal, but I'm just waiting for a real chemist to respond. :)

[Acronic]

I guess this means I need to change the remainder out and mix a new batch of mag supplement...

[disc1]

Either way, that's one heckuva single crystal. I'm impressed.

[disc1]

I guess this means I need to change the remainder out and mix a new batch of mag supplement...

Yeah, probably so.

[Habib]

growing in my Mag

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. :)

[Acronic]

Magnesium. Should have been more specific. I store the solution in a 2.5 gallon tank

[Habib]

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.

[LeLutinBanni]

Probably kryptonite

[Habib]

Probably kryptonite

I have some from the moon but that is green colored and very expensive/rare.

[franklypre]

That really is cool, just when you thought you'd seen it all.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

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.

[Habib]

You could make him jealous :D. :

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

[bertoni]

Whatever it is, I'd keep it. :)

[disc1]

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.


Now Randy, how the heck would you make calcium anything from Mag sulfate and mag chloride?

Reefing alchemy? :lol2:

[disc1]

I have some from the moon but that is green colored and very expensive/rare.

IIRC there is also a red form which had the opposite effect.

[Habib]

Now Randy, how the heck would you make calcium anything from Mag sulfate and mag chloride?

Reefing alchemy? :lol2:


Kryptonite weakened Randy. :)

[Habib]

IIRC there is also a red form which had the opposite effect.

Red Kryptonite was an illusion. :)

[seapug]

glue it to a necklace for mega bling.:bum:

[Acronic]

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?

[Habib]

Once you're near the saturation state by evaporation, small fluctuations in temperature can make it crystallize and redissolve again.

A lower concentration salts and a lid will avoid this from happening.

If I understood your question correctly then , Yes adding water will dissolve the crystals and evaporation will cause them. You can go on doing that as often as you would like to do. :)

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?

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Now Randy, how the heck would you make calcium anything from Mag sulfate and mag chloride?

Reefing alchemy? :lol2:

Close :)

Calcium is often a high enough impurity in magnesium chloride to cause precipitation when it is mixed with magnesium sulfate even if both solutions are clear. That has been noted by a number of folks making the DIY, and I referred to it in the original article.

That said, such precipitation is usually very rapid resulting in fine white powder, not nice crystals like that shown above. :)

FWIW, that crystal may dissolve into a puddle if kept out on a humid day. :)

[disc1]

Close :)

Calcium is often a high enough impurity in magnesium chloride to cause precipitation when it is mixed with magnesium sulfate even if both solutions are clear. That has been noted by a number of folks making the DIY, and I referred to it in the original article.

That said, such precipitation is usually very rapid resulting in fine white powder, not nice crystals like that shown above. :)

FWIW, that crystal may dissolve into a puddle if kept out on a humid day. :)

Aha. I just assumed you meant magnesium and wrote calcium.


Kryptonite weakened Randy. :)

I like the Randy as Superman explanation better.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

:lol:

FWIW, I just rewatched a portion of the National Geographic show on the crystal cavern in Mexico. Those are up to 30 feet long and weigh 30 tons, and are calcium sulfate. :)

[Habib]

:lol:

FWIW, I just rewatched a portion of the National Geographic show on the crystal cavern in Mexico. Those are up to 30 feet long and weigh 30 tons, and are calcium sulfate. :)


That's nothing compared to icebergs. :D

[Acronic]

I've got a second big crystal to show you guys, I will take a pic when I get home from work in a couple hours.

[Sport507]

:lol:

FWIW, I just rewatched a portion of the National Geographic show on the crystal cavern in Mexico. Those are up to 30 feet long and weigh 30 tons, and are calcium sulfate. :)

I saw that one too. Beautiful and amazing things happen on this blue planet. I thought I was rolling back in 4-H geology when I found my first piece of calcite. It was so cool how it would break into a parallelogram with a rock hammer.

No bows please!

[mathusala]

That is seriously cool, you should try to grow them and make key chains or something lol

[Yogre]

That's nothing compared to icebergs. :D

Icebergs are hard on ships.

I only like ice in my Jack Daniels. :lmao:

[Acronic]

this guy is a little bigger

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2444.jpg

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2445.jpg

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2443.jpg

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2442.jpg

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2441.jpg

http://i946.photobucket.com/albums/ad310/salvini55/IMG_2440.jpg

[Garage1217]

:lol:

FWIW, I just rewatched a portion of the National Geographic show on the crystal cavern in Mexico. Those are up to 30 feet long and weigh 30 tons, and are calcium sulfate. :)

Just watched the same thing and thought the same thing when I saw this post!

[aleonn]

Very cool, you should sculpt it into something and sell it =P

[thecoralreefer]

So as Haqbib says It's like Ice cream So cool

[MandM]

You don't even need to sculpt those. You could sell them to crack heads for $20 a pop. :lol:

Cool looking crystals.

[Acronic]

haha, yes I've often joked about the sump/mechanical room being a meth lab when people come over and check out the system. This just sweetens the joke.

[RedTurboMr2]

cool crystals