Resumen de Using Silica Gel Cat Litter To Readily Demonstrate the Formation of Colorful Chemical Gardens
A chemical garden is a phenomenon by which crystals of metal salts grow in an aqueous solution of sodium silicate (also known as waterglass), visually resembling the forms of a beautiful garden. Demonstrations of this experiment are well-known, and different tube colors and shapes can form depending on the type of metal salt used. In the method described herein, a porous material soaked in a metal salt solution was used in place of the crystals. The ideal material was the easily available silica gel cat litter. The reaction was completed in ∼20 min, and since the silicate tubes are difficult to break because they are strongly bound to the cat litter, the formation of chemical gardens could be observed while holding the test tube in one’s hand. The use of cat litter reduces the preparation time for instructors and the amounts of reagents used compared to using powders and crystals of metal salts.
