When you put a copper sulfate crystal in copper sulfate solution, why does the crystal grow?and also.. why do crystals such as salt crystals all have the same shape?thanks for all your help
They will grow once you add a crystal because it is a SUPERSATURATED solution. The crystals come out with the same shape because its a crystal-lattice of the same compound so it all has to be uniform.
When you put copper sulphate in copper sulphate solution it grows due to electrolysis. Copper sulphate is a commonly included chemical in children's chemistry sets and is often used in high school crystal growing and copper plating experiments. However due to its toxicity, it is not well advised for small children A very dilute solution of copper sulfate is used to treat aquarium fish of various parasitic infections. However, as the copper ions are also highly toxic to the fish, care must be taken with the dosage. Most species of algae can be controlled with very low concentrations of copper sulfate. Copper sulfate is used in school chemistry courses to demonstrate the principle of mineral hydration. The pentahydrate form, which is blue, is heated, turning the copper sulfate into the anhydrous form which is white, while the water that was present in the pentahydrate form evaporates. When water is then added to the anhydrous compound, it turns back into the pentahydrate form, regaining its blue colour.
The copper(II) sulfate crystal will grow in the solution when the solution is slightly supersaturated due to the evaporation of water from the solution. This will not happen if the solution is unsaturated. The shape of the crystals of a substance is constant because when the ions or atoms arrange themselves in the crystal structure, they do so in exactly the same way.
