ScienceFreePrintable

Borax Crystal Formation Experiment

A free science worksheet ready for your classroom. Open in Kuraplan to grab the print-ready PDF, customize it for your students, or generate a fresh version in seconds.

Download now

Name:Date:

Borax Crystal Formation Experiment

A crew is testing how crystals form for a space-station science report. Read the method and results, then answer each question. This activity uses simulated results, so you do not need to handle chemicals. Any real borax experiment must be planned and supervised by a teacher or other responsible adult.

The investigation

Borax is the solute and water is the solvent. In a supervised investigation, borax is stirred into hot water until no more dissolves, making a saturated solution. A pipe-cleaner shape is suspended in the solution and left undisturbed as it cools. As the solution cools, less borax can stay dissolved. Borax particles come out of solution and join in an orderly repeating pattern, forming crystals on surfaces where they can begin growing. Hot water and borax require adult supervision; avoid splashes, do not taste anything, and wash hands after the activity.

Space-station test results

The crew compared two identical jars. Both started with the same volume of saturated borax solution and identical pipe-cleaner shapes. Jar A cooled undisturbed. Jar B was gently moved several times. The observations below are simulated data.

Time

Jar A: cooled undisturbed

Jar B: moved several times

30 minutes

A few tiny crystals visible

Cloudy solution; very few crystals visible

2 hours

More crystals on the pipe cleaner

Small crystals on the pipe cleaner and jar

24 hours

Large, clearly formed crystals on the pipe cleaner

Many small crystals on several surfaces

1.In this investigation, which substance is the solute and which is the solvent?

2.What does it mean when a borax solution is saturated?

It contains as much dissolved borax as it can under those conditions.
It contains no water.
All the borax has turned into gas.
The solution has been frozen.

3.As the saturated solution cools, will its ability to keep borax dissolved usually increase or decrease? Predict what this means for the dissolved borax.

4.After 24 hours, which jar had the largest crystals on its pipe cleaner?

5.Use the results table to describe one difference between the two jars after 24 hours.

6.Suggest why moving Jar B may have led to crystals forming on several surfaces instead of growing into larger crystals on the pipe cleaner.

7.The jars began with the same solution and pipe-cleaner shapes. What condition did the crew change between Jar A and Jar B?

8.Name two conditions the crew should keep the same so that movement is the main difference being tested.

9.Number these events from 1 to 4, starting with the first: crystals grow; borax dissolves in hot water; the solution cools; some dissolved borax comes out of solution.

10.Which two actions are important if a supervised class carries out this experiment?

Let a responsible adult handle the hot water and borax.
Taste the solution to check whether it is saturated.
Avoid splashes and wash hands afterwards.
Carry an open jar quickly across the room.

11.In one or two sentences, explain how crystals form as the solution cools. Use the words solution, dissolved, and crystal structure.

12.The crew wants to find out whether cooling time affects crystal growth. Name one thing to change and one thing to measure.

3 printable pages

Page 1
Page 2
Page 3

Download now

About This Worksheet

Free in Kuraplan

Print-Ready

Formatted for standard paper. Clean layout, easy to read.

AI-Generated

Created with Kuraplan's AI, designed for real classroom use.

For Teachers & Parents

Use in classrooms, for homework, tutoring, or homeschool.

Need a custom version of this worksheet?

Kuraplan's AI generates custom worksheets in seconds — differentiated for every learner, aligned to your curriculum.

Generate Custom Worksheets — Free

No credit card Curriculum-aligned Under 60 seconds

More Science Worksheets

Year 5

Borax Crystal Formation Experiment

Borax Crystal Formation Experiment

The investigation

Space-station test results

3 printable pages

About This Worksheet

Free in Kuraplan

Print-Ready

AI-Generated

For Teachers & Parents

Need a custom version of this worksheet?

More Science Worksheets

Magic Milk Experiment Worksheet

Dissolving and Separation Investigation

Dancing Raisins Investigation

Plant Growth Investigation

Water Properties Investigation

Supervised Biological Investigation

Experiment Design Planner

Sensory Cause Effect Experiments

Explore more free resources