Requests from Earth & Space Science Students

Hello Earth and Space Science 11 family. On Friday some of you requested the links to websites about making rock candy (growing crystals). Here are a few:
http://www.mineralogicalassociation.ca/young/growing.php
http://www.exploratorium.edu/cooking/candy/index.html
http://www.squidoo.com/makerockcandy
http://chemistry.learnhub.com/lesson/page/3825-chemistry-experiment-rock-candy

For a visual demonstration look at:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=vJKKu8LawJ0

If you want a recipe here is just one example:

What you need to make rock candy
7 ½ cups of sugar
12" of clean cotton string
Wax paper
Clean glass jar which holds a minimum of 3 to 4 cups.
Water Thin dowel, approximately 8 inches

Day 1: Bring ¼ cup of water to boil in a medium sized pot. Add ½ cup of sugar, stirring as you pour. Stir until dissolved. Submerge the string into the sugar water mixture. Allow the mixture to saturate it for 1 minute. Remove the string and lay it out on wax paper to dry. Allow the string to dry for 2 full days.

2 Days Later: Tie one end of the string to the middle of the dowel. Lay the dowel across the mouth of a clean glass jar. Wind the string around the dowel until the sugared end hangs about 1 inch above the bottom of the jar. Tie the other end of the string to the dowel to prevent it from unwinding. Set the jar nearby the stove where you will be working. Boil 2 cups of water. Using a ¼ cup measuring spoon, spoon six to seven cups of sugar into the boiling water, stirring constantly. Continue adding sugar until it reaches its saturation point. (No more sugar will dissolve.) Add enough red or green food coloring to reach the desired color. Allow the sugar water mixture to cool for 15 minutes. Carefully pour the sugar water into the jar. Avoid getting the dowel and string wet. Fill the jar ¾ full. Cover the mouth of the jar with wax paper.

Place the jar on a shelf where it will not get bumped, but somewhere where you can watch the crystals grow. Keep the jar set aside for a week. Crystal formation will begin in about a day. Allow the candy to continue growing to edible size pieces for a week.