Rock Candy

Welcome to my recipe for rock candy. As this is an entry in the Science of Food contest I will also be explaining the science behind this fun, tasty, and easy treat.

Tin Foil
Pint Canning Jar
Measuring Cups
1 Quart Saucepan
Fork
5 Inch Wooden Skewer
Funnel
Rubber Band

Pour water into a saucepan and add 3 cups of sugar.
Bring to a boil and slowly add more sugar until it stops dissolving.
Keep stirring sugar until it stops dissolving. Add flavor and coloring if desired.

Pour solution into jar until it is 1 1/2 inch away from the top. Cover jar in tin foil, use a rubber band to secure the foil, run the skewer in water then roll it in sugar, and poke the skewer thru the tin foil into the solution. Set in a cool dry place until the crystals stop growing. IT WILL TAKE A FEW DAYS!!!!!But you should start seeing results within a few hours.(if no crystals are forming boil the solution again and add more solution)

Once the crystals stop growing remove the skewer form the sugar solution, wash the jar with hot water, and enjoy!!

Now, you may be wondering what causes the crystals to grow. The answer is directly related to the sugar-to-water ratio. Two processes contribute to the growth of the crystals.The first process is precipitation. Precipitation is when there is more solute(sugar in this case) than can stay in liquid form. This is called a supersaturated solution. Because there is too much solute in the solution the sugar will separate forming crystals. The second process, evaporation, is when the water from the solution evaporates and leaves behind the sugar, hence, more crystals. Your rock candy will be made up of around 1,000,000,000,000,000(one quadrillion) sugar molecules. Wow!!!!!

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