Kevin+Simosen+-+Ghost+Crystals


 * Ghost Crystals**

Materials: Ghost Crystals Water String Cups

Procedure: 1. Pour Ghost Crystals into a larg container and fill the cntainer with water. 2. After the crystals have grown, take one out of the container, tie a string around it, and place it in a cup of water. 3. Watch as the crystal seems to disappear! :o

Video: Pictures:

Explanation and Application:

Ghost Crystals are superabsorbant polymers that absorb several hundred times their weight in water. A polymer is large molecule made of smaller "building block" molecules called monomers. The reason you can't see the Ghost Crystal in the water is because the angle that light passes through water is the same angle that light passes through the Ghost Crystal.

Because Ghost Crystals are so absorbant, they are often used in top soil to keep plants hydrated. They were in the local news back in December. Ghost Crystals were growing on this man's porch because his wife was a gardner and spilled top soil on their porch. The next time it rained, Ghost Crystals appeared on their porch.

Sources: []

[|&p_product=PGHB&p_theme=pghb&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_field_label-0=Section&s_dispstring=(mystery)%20AND%20section(all)%20AND%20date(12/1/2009%20to%2012/30/2009)&p_field_date-0=YMD_date&p_params_date-0=date:B,E&p_text_date-0=12/1/2009%20to%2012/30/2009)&p_field_advanced-0=&p_text_advanced-0=(mystery)&xcal_numdocs=20&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&xcal_useweights=no] (The above source contains a link to the news article I used. I did not post the article because it is in the archives now and costs 3 dollars to view.)