Thames & Kosmos 659240 Experiment Manual

EXPERIMENT MANUAL

COLOR­ CHANGING

CRYSTALS

WARNING — This set contains chemicals

and parts that may be harmful if misused. Read
cautions on individual containers and in manual
carefully. Not to be used by children except
under adult supervision.

2nd Edit ion © 2011, 2012 Franckh -Kosmos
Verlags -GmbH & Co. KG,
Pfize rstr aße 5 –7, D-70184 Stuttgart, Ge rmany

This wor k, including all its par ts, is copyri ght pro tecte d.
Any use o utsid e the spe cific li mits of t he copyr ight
law with out the c onsen t of the pub lisher i s prohi bited
and puni shable by law. This a pplies s pecifically t o
reproductions, translations, microfilming, and storage
and pro cessin g in elec tronic system s and net works. We
do not guarant ee that all mater ial in thi s work is f ree
from co pyrigh t or other prote ction .

Concept: Ruth Schildhauer
Project manag ement : Kris tin Alb ert
Revisi on: Kar in Bischoff
Technical product development: Dr. Petra Müller
Packag ing conc ept and layout: P eter Sc hmidt G roup
GmbH, Hamburg
Manual concept: Atelier Bea Klenk, Berlin
Manual t ypesetti ng and layo ut: Michael Schlegel,
komuniki, Würzburg
Manual illustration: Andrea Mangold, Munich
Packag ing and ma nual photos: Mi chael Fl aig, pr o­studios, Stuttgart (contents); Toria (whirlpool, ©shut­terst ock.com); mhp ( blue light), An dre Bon n (scene of
the crime), artcalin (color stains, all ©fotolia.com)

1st Englis h Editi on © 2012 Tha mes & Kos mos, LL C,
Providence, RI
® Thames & Kosmos i s a regis tered t rademark of
Thames & Kosmos , LLC.
Editin g: Ted McGu ire; Add ition al Grap hics and Layou t:
Dan Freitas
Distr ibute d in Nor th Amer ica by Th ames & Kosmos,
LLC. P rovide nce, RI 0290 3
Phone: [phone]; Email: support@thamesand­kosmos.com

Distr ibute d in UK by Th ames & Kos mos-UK
Phone: [phone]; Website: www.thamesandkos­mos.co.uk

We rese rve the righ t to make technic al changes . Printed in Ger many / Imprimé e n Allemagne

Contents

› Potassium aluminium sulfate (potassium alum)

chemical vial,  g (item no.  )

› Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) (red prussiate)

chemical vial,  g (item n o. )
› Lid remover
›  measuring cups
› Wooden spatula

› Pipette
› Safety glasses
›  crystal dis play cases

Before you start, check to make sure that the kit con
tains the right chemical salts,

sulfate (potassium alum)

hexacyanoferrate(III)

You will also need:
Tap water or distilled water (from supermarket or drug
store), old pot, trivet or hot pad, pot holder, clean,
empty jelly jar (without lid), paper towels, scissor s,

tape, small screwdriver, pencil or pen, household
vinegar, iron nail

potassium aluminium

and

potassium

(red prussiate).

SAFETY INFORMATION

Safety notes

CAUTION!

››› Only for use by children over 10 years of age. Not

suitable for children under 10.

››› To be used solely under the strict supervision of

adults who have studied the precautions given in the
experimental set.

››› Contains some chemicals which are classified as

safety hazards.

››› Read the instructions before use, follow them, and

keep them for reference.

››› Do not allow chemicals to come into contact with

any part of the body, particularly the mouth and
eyes.

››› Keep young children and pets away from

experiments.

››› Store the chemistry kit out of reach of young

children.

››› Eye protection for supervising adults is not included.

Save the packaging and instructions, as they contain important information.

First aid in case of accidents

Important: In case of injury, seek immediate medical help.

When conducting experiments with chemicals:

››› In case of contact with the eye: Wash out eye with plenty of water, holding eye open if

necessary. Rinse from the nose outward. Seek immediate medical advice.

››› In case of swallowing: Wash out mouth with water, and drink some fresh water. Do not

induce vomiting. Seek immediate medical advice.

››› In case of inhalation: Move person into fresh air, for example, into another room with

open windows or outside.

››› In case of contact with the skin or in case of burns: Wash affected area with plenty of

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water for five minutes. Cover burns with a bandage. Never apply oil, powder, or flour
to the wound. Do not lance blisters. For larger burns, seek immediate medical help.

››› In case of cuts: Do not touch or rinse with water. Do not apply any ointments, powders,

or the like. Dress the wound with a germ-free, dry first-aid bandage. Foreign objects
such as glass splinters should only be removed from the wound by a doctor. Seek the
advice of a doctor if you feel a sharp or throbbing pain.

When in doubt, seek medical advice without delay. For accidents involving chemicals, al­ways take the chemical with its container to the doctor or tell the doctor the name of the
chemical.

SAFETY ADVICE …

Good chemists always

work carefully and safely.

Advice for supervising adults

Dear Parents,

With this crystal-growing chemistry ex­periment kit, you and your child will be
able to produce some extraordinary crys­tals. You will be able to display and view
your “magical” crystals in the lockable
display cases.

It is natural to have questions about the
safety of a kit that contains chemicals. The
experimental equipment in this kit meets
U.S. and European Safety Standards,
which specify safety requirements for
chemistry experiment kits. These stan­dards impose obligations on the manufac­turer, such as forbidding the use of any
particularly dangerous substances. The
standards also stipulate that adults
should assist their children with advice
and assistance in their new hobby.

So please read and follow these in
structions

vice, the first aid information, the
safety rules, and the information

about handling the crystal salts

disposing of them in an environmen

tally responsible manner.

keep the safety information on hand

for reference.

Emphasize to your child the importance of
following all of this information, and the
importance of performing only those ex­periments that are described in this manu­al. Only carry out those experiments

which are listed in the instructions. The in­correct use of chemicals can cause injury
and damage health. Inform your child, but

do not frighten him or her — there’s no
need for that.

This experiment kit is for use only by chil­dren over  years. Because children’s
abilities vary so much, even within age
groups, supervising adults should exer­cise discretion as to which experiments
are suitable and safe for them. The in­structions should enable supervisors to
assess any experiment to establish its
suitability for a particular child.

You should carefully review the experi­ments and select only those that you con­sider appropriate for your child/children.

as well as

the safety ad

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and

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Always

Before starting the experiments,
discuss all the safety information

with your child or children!

The supervising adult should discuss the
warnings and safety information with the
child or children before commencing the
experiments. Particular attention should
be paid to the safe handling of acids, alka­lies, and flammable liquids.

Hot water is used to dissolve the crystal
salts. You should devote special care to
handling it safely and assist your child
when help is needed. Please ensure ade­quate fire safety when heating water on
the kitchen stove!

When performing the experiments, please
be sure not to let the alum and red prussi­ate crystal salts come into contact with
your skin, eyes, or mouth. It is also impor­tant to prevent the crystal salts, their so­lutions, and especially the completed
crystals from getting into the hands of
young children. They might mistake the
crystals for candy and put them into their
mouths.

Please be careful not to let the chemicals
get into the hands of young children.

The area surrounding the experiment
should be kept clear of any obstructions
and away from the storage of food. It
should be well lit and ventilated and close
to a water supply. A solid table with a
heat resistant top should be provided.

The work area should not be in the kitchen,
as chemicals should be kept strictly sepa­rate from foods and kitchen equipment. A
cool basement room would be ideal. Do
not use any containers or tools in the
kitchen after you have used them for
growing crystals.

Always get any required equipment and
chemicals ready before beginning an ex­periment. The safety glasses are particu­larly important!

We wish you and your child a lot of fun
with your color-changing crystals!

Poison Control Centers

The following resources are available day and night to provide information on measures that

should be taken in all cases of poisoning:

Poison Control Centers (United States)

In case of emergency, your nearest poison

control center can be reached everywhere in
the United States by dialing the number:

Local Hospital or Poison Centre (Europe)

Record the telephone number of your local

hospital or poison centre here:

1-800-222-1222

Write the number down now so you do not
have to search for it in an emergency.

When in doubt, seek medical advice without delay. Bring the chemical and its container with
you. In case of injury, always seek medical advice.

Basic rules for safe experimentation (safety rules)

››› 8. Wash your hands after carrying out

Before starting the experiments, please read the
following information carefully. These rules will

make it easy to avoid any possible risks!

››› 1. Read these instructions before use,

follow them, and keep them for reference.
Pay special attention to the quantity speci­fications and the sequence of the individu­al steps. Only perform experiments that
are described in this instruction manual.

››› 2. Keep young children, pets, and those

not wearing eye protection away from the
experimental area.

››› 3. Always wear eye protection. If you

wear corrective eyeglasses, you will need
protective goggles for those who wear cor­rective eyeglasses. When working, wear
appropriate protective clothing, like an old
smock and smooth gloves.

››› 4. Store experimental sets, finished

crystal(s), and other substances out of
reach of young children, such as in a lock­able cabinet.

››› 5. Clean all equipment after use.

››› 6. Make sure that all containers are ful-

ly closed and properly stored after use.
Carefully close the chemical vials after
use and return them to their places in the
experiment kit.

››› 7. Be sure to properly dispose of all

empty containers (chemical vials).

the experiments. Chemicals that acciden­tally get onto your skin must be rinsed off
immediately under running water.

››› 9. Do not use any equipment which has

not been supplied with the set, or that you
are not specifically asked to obtain for a
particular experiment.

››› 10. Do not eat, drink, or smoke in the ex-

periment area.

››› 11. Do not allow chemicals to come into

contact with eyes or mouth.

››› 12. Do not allow any substances or so-

lutions to get onto your body.

››› 13. Do not grow crystals in any rooms

where people will be eating, drinking, or
sleeping.

››› 14. Be careful when handling hot water

and hot solutions. Be particularly careful
with hot burners, and don’t forget to turn
them off after use! Do not inhale any hot
vapors!

››› 15. Make sure that the container with

the liquid is out of the reach of children un­der 10 years of age while you are growing
your crystals. All filled containers should
have a label indicating what they contain.

Also, note the information on the chemical
vial labels and the information about han­dling the crystal salts.

Instructions for using the safety glasses (item no. 052297)

Use The safety glasses are only to be used with

the experiment kit. No other type of application
is permitted. Wear the glasses in such a way
that the eye area is protected. If nece ssary, ad­just the elastic band to the head circumference
of the child. The safety glasses should be used
together with contact lenses. Wearers of cor­rective eyeglasses need special safety glasses
for people who wear glasse s.

Duration of use Always wear the safety glass-

es while performing your e xperiments. Not in­tended for long-term use. The duration of use
should not exceed the time of the experiment.

Storage Store safety glasses at room tempera-

ture in a dry room. Af ter the experiment, return
them to their place in the kit box , to keep them
from being scratched.

Cleaning Do not clean the safety glasses when

they are dry. Clean them with plain water and,
if necessary, with a mild household liquid de­tergent , and dry them off with a soft cloth.

Maintenance In case of defective safety glass-

es or scratched lenses, exchange the glasses
for an equivalently constructed pair.

Inspection Check the safety glasse s to make

sure they are in good condition, and replace
them if they are damaged.

Warning Some extremely sensitive individuals

may under certain circumstances e xperience
an allergic reaction to skin contact with some
substances.

Replacement These safety glasses are avail-

able as a replacement part.

The safety glasses are te sted per EC guideline
//EWG (personal protective equipment)
and EN -.

Test center: Certification center 0197 • TÜV
Rheinland Product Safety GmbH • Am Grauen
Stein • D-51105 Köln, Ger many

Franckh-Kosmos Verlags-GmbH & Co. KG · Pfiz­erstraße 5–7 · 70184 Stuttgart , Germany

Information on handling the chemicals

Please note the following risk and safety infor­mation for the potassium aluminium sulfate
(potassium alum) and potassium
hexacyanoferrate(III) (red prussiate) salts in­cluded in this kit.

Potassium aluminium sulfate (potassium
alum): Avoid inhaling dust. Do not allow chem-

ical to get into eyes or on skin.

Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) (red prussi­ate): Avoid release into the environment .

NOTE! The following applies to both chemi­cals: Keep them locked away. Do not let them

get into the hands of children.

This primarily applies to young children, but
also to older children who — unlike the experi­menter — have not been appropriately in ­structed by adult s.

Also follow this safety guideline: IF A CHEMI-

CAL IS S WALLOWED: Immediately seek medi­cal advice and/or attention and be re ady to
provide the chemical packaging label.

If chemicals come into c ontact with skin, rinse
the skin with running water immediately . Do
not inhale the dust and powder of the
chemicals.

OPENING THE CHEMICAL VIALS:

1. Sometimes a portion of the chemical will
stick to the lid of the chemical vial. To

prevent any from falling onto your

hand, bang the bottom of the
vial several times against the

work surface before opening it.

2. Then open the chemical vial with
the lid opener. Close the vial
again immediately after use!

You might sometimes need a little extra

Tip!

force to open and close the containers. Have an

adult help you.

If the chemicals have formed clumps, it’s not a
sign of poor quality, but simply means that
moisture — from the air mostly — has gotten
inside the container. That will not affect their
function. The age of your chemical s will also
make no dif ference.

CLEANING AND DISPOSAL OF WASTE:

Cleanliness is especially important in chemis­try. Always clean up any used containers and
your work area immediately following the ex­periments. Rinse the containers with clean wa­ter and dry t hem with paper towels, and then
dispose of the used paper towels in the trash.
Since you will only be dealing wit h small
quantities of har mless chemicals in this experi­ment kit, you can simply rinse any liquid
wastes down the drain with plenty of water.
With the “ Prussian blue” solution, add a little
washing detergent first. Dispose of any solid
wastes in the household garbage.

SAVING THE CRYSTALS:
Always save your finished, dry crystals in the

lockable display cases included in the kit!

EXPERIMENT 1

EXPERIMENT 2

EXPERIMENT 3

Growing color-changing crystals

You will want to be absolutely sure

YOU WILL NEED:

› Safety glasses, potassium alum, lid

remover, potassium hexacyanofer­rate(III), measuring cup, wooden
spatula, water, old cooking pot, triv-

et, pot holder, clean, empty jelly jar

Caution!

careful not to burn yourself on the hot pot,

and don’t forget to turn off the stove!

(without lid), paper towels

››› First, put on your safety glasses and

get a trivet or hot pad ready for your
work area.

››› Use the lid remover to open the

chemical vial with the potassium alum
(potassium aluminium sulfate), and
empty the entire contents into the jelly
jar.

››› Using the wooden spatula, add 3 to 4

scoops of the potassium hexacyanofer­rate(III). You can use all of it except for
a little bit, which you will need later
for the chemical analysis.

“Magical” transformation

››› Use the measuring cup to measure 50 ml of

water (1 x 20 ml and 1 x 30 ml) and add the
water to the two chemicals in the jar. Stir
everything well with the spatula.

››› Fill the pot about 2 cm deep with water.

Bring the water to a boil on the stove. Then
turn off the stove and set the pot carefully on
the trivet or hot pad.

››› Now place the jelly jar holding your chemi-

cal mixture in the pot and stir it with the
wooden spatula. The hot water will warm
the contents of the jar, and the two salts will
gradually dissolve. If you can still see some
alum granules, remove the jar from the pot
with a pot holder. Bring the water in the pot
to a boil again and repeat the process.

Which crystals change the most quickly? Do the
crystals kept in the dark change color too?

Have an adult help you! Be very

Tip!

that the salts are completely dissolved

— that way, you will have the best chance
of growing nice crystals.

››› Label the jar and set it in a safe place. Now

you just have to wait! But after a few hours,
you will find transparent angular shapes on
the bottom of the jar, which will keep form­ing with time. After about two days, your
crystals will be “all grown up.”

WHAT’S HAPPENING? The granules of salt crystal will dissolve in warm

water and eventually turn invisible, since you can’t see their smallest components —
called ions — with the naked eye. When the water cools, the ions gather into a very
specific shape, which eventually turns visible again — a crystal has taken form!

YOU WILL NEED:

› 2 display cases, scissors, tape, small

screwdriver

›››

Divide the crystals between the two

display cases. Cut the yellow and blue

labels out of this instruction manual

and clamp them in place between the
lid and the bottom of the two cases. If
they don’t stay in place, secure them
with a little tape.

Caution!

particularly any young children, can get into

the crystal display cases!

›››

Ideally, place one of the display cases in a
dark closet and the other one on a bright
window ledge. Compare the colors of the
crystals every three days or so.

Make sure that nobody,

WHAT’S HAPPENING

There’s a chemical reaction that
takes place in the crystals, as

You can lock the

Tip!

case by squeezing it

tightly shut. To open it,
insert a small screw-

driver into the slot
on the side and

turn it carefully.

you will learn in greater detail
in Experiment 3. Because the
reaction happens more quickly
under the influence of light,
the crystals change their color
faster in a bright location than
in a dark location.

Bright Crystals Dark Crystals

››› Use the wooden spatula to carefully re-

move the crystals and place them on a
paper towel to dry. Depending on how
warm or cool it was when the crystals
were growing, they will have turned
yellow or yellowish green. Pour the left­over solution down the drain with lots
of water, and rinse thoroughly.

Chemical analysis

YOU WILL NEED:

› Safety glasses, remaining potassium

hexacyanoferrate(III), 2 measuring
cups, pipette, household white vinegar,

iron nail, water

››› Pour some household white vinegar into

the measuring cup. Place the nail in it
and set the cup in a safe place for a few
days. The vinegar will gradually dis­solve some of the iron, which will show
itself as a brown coloration.

››› Add the rest of the potassium

hexacyanoferrate(III) to the other mea­suring cup and dissolve it in a little
water.

››› With the pipette, carefully drip a little

potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) solu­tion into the measuring cup containing
the vinegar.

This is the right way to use the pipette:

Tip!

Squeeze the upper part of the pipette between

thumb and forefinger, and dip the tip of the
pipette into the liquid. A s soon as you release

pressure on the bulb, the liquid will rise up the
pipette tube. By applying careful pressure to

the bulb again, you can either empty the pipette
contents completely or squeeze out just

a few drops.

Before filling the pipette with the ne xt
chemical, you will have to clean it carefully. To

do that, draw some clean water into the
pipette, shake, and squeeze it empty. Repeat

this procedure several times.

Check it out

CULPRIT NABBED… THANKS TO CHEMICAL
ANALYSIS!

When the police get to the scene of a crime, they search for clues.

These days, though, it isn’t just fingerprints that might lead them
to the perpetrator. Chemical analysis of DNA helps them in their in­vestigation too.

DNA is a complex chemical compound that is found in
every cell of your body. It can act as a sort of “biological fingerprint”
— because no two people have the same DNA. This compound con

tains all the biological information of an individual, such as height,
sex, eye color, and hair color.

But let’s get back to the crime
scene. The police will look for

cells from the perpetrator’s body,
which may be contained in the
roots of a hair or small flakes of
skin, for example. The DNA in

these cells is analyzed and com
pared with DNA from the cells of

any suspects. This technique has
already been used to solve a lot of
crimes!

WHAT’S HAPPENING

Right away, you will get a greenish to blue color.
You just performed what’s called a chemical
analysis. You used one substance (the potassium
hexacyanoferrate) to test for the presence of
another substance (the dissolved iron from the
nail). In other words, the two substances reacted
with each other chemically and formed a vivid
blue dye that serves as a clear indication that the
reaction took place. This dye is known as Prus­sian blue.

This same reaction took place in your crystals.
Potassium hexacyanoferrate(III) contains iron as
well, although it is so “hidden” inside the crystal
that at first no Prussian blue formed. Only with
the help of the alum, which gradually decom­poses the red salt, does the color appear in the
crystals, and the yellow slowly turns to green
and then blue.

Cells form the smallest
building blocks of humans,
animals, and plants. Our

cell

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nucleus

skin, our bones, and our
muscles, for example, are
made up of countless cells.
They are so tiny that they
are only visible under the
microscope. The DNA is
contained inside the cell
nucleus, which is con­tained inside the cell.

CYANOTYPE

The chemical reaction from Experiment 3
also forms the basis for an unusual photo
graphic process known as cyanotype. In

this process, thick paper is painted with a
solution of red potassium hexacyanofer­rate(III) and a special iron-containing salt
that gradually decomposes in the light and

then reacts with the red potassium
hexacyanoferrate(III).

If this kind of paper is covered with a sten

cil, for example, and allowed to sit in the
sunlight for a little while, only the parts ex
posed to the light will turn blue.

This process was used by the British bota
nist and illustrator Anna Atkins, who had a

book displaying pictures of various plants

that were created by the cyanotype

technique.

This blue dye has been popular for centuries, because it has an in
tense color and doesn’t fade. If you have a set of paints, you might
also find this color under the name “Berlin blue.” Even today, it is
processed into paint dyes and used for the blue color in ink

cartridges.

Prussian blue, or Berlin blue, was discovered in 1706 by a paint
manufacturer in Berlin, in a region of Germany that used to be
known as Prussia — hence the name!

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WHAT IS PRUSSIAN BLUE USED FOR?

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