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How To Grow Tin Crystals

By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D., About.com

Tin crystals are easy to grow, using a simple displacement chemical reaction: Sn2+ + Fe --> Sn + Fe2+
Difficulty: Easy
Time Required: an hour to overnight

Here's How:

  1. Suspend the iron wire or nail in a test tube containing tin chloride.
  2. After about an hour, crystals will start to form. You can examine these with a magnifying glass or by removing the wire and looking at the crystals under a microscope.
  3. Allow the iron to remain in the solution overnight for more/larger crystals.

What You Need:

  • iron wire or nail
  • 0.1 M tin chloride
  • test tube

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