How to Grow Silver Crystals

This is a photo of a crystal of pure silver metal, deposited electrolytically.
Alchemist-hp/Creative Commons License
By
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
Chemistry Expert
  • Ph.D., Biomedical Sciences, University of Tennessee at Knoxville
  • B.A., Physics and Mathematics, Hastings College
Dr. Helmenstine holds a Ph.D. in biomedical sciences and is a science writer, educator, and consultant. She has taught science courses at the high school, college, and graduate levels.
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Updated on February 24, 2019

Silver crystals are beautiful and easily grown metal crystals. You can watch crystal growth under a microscope or let the crystals grow overnight for larger crystals.

Directions

You can use a chemical reaction to deposit silver crystals like these onto a copper Christmas tree form to make a silver tree.
Read More
Silver Tree Chemistry Demonstration
By Anne Marie Helmenstine, Ph.D.
  1. Suspend a piece of copper wire in 0.1M silver nitrate in a test tube. If you coil the wire you will get high surface area and more visible growth.
  2. Place the tube in a darkened location. Try to avoid high-traffic (high-vibration) areas.
  3. Crystals should be visible to the naked eye on the copper wire after about an hour, but larger crystals and noticeable blue coloration of liquid will occur overnight.
  4. OR
  5. Place a drop of mercury in a test tube and add 5-10 ml 0.1M silver nitrate.
  6. Allow the tube to stand undisturbed in a dark location for 1-2 days. Crystals will grow on the surface of the mercury.

Tips

  1. It is easy to watch crystals form on a copper wire under a microscope. The heat of the microscope light will cause crystals to form very quickly.
  2. A displacement reaction is responsible for crystal formation: 2Ag+ + Cu → Cu2+ + 2Ag

Materials Needed

  • 0.1M Silver Nitrate
  • Test Tube
  • Copper Wire or Mercury
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Your Citation
Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How to Grow Silver Crystals." ThoughtCo, Aug. 25, 2020, thoughtco.com/how-to-grow-silver-crystals-602050. Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. (2020, August 25). How to Grow Silver Crystals. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-grow-silver-crystals-602050 Helmenstine, Anne Marie, Ph.D. "How to Grow Silver Crystals." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-grow-silver-crystals-602050 (accessed April 26, 2024).