Crystals from evap. Tips for collecting without breaking them apart?

[protocluster]

Hello,

This is my first attempt to grow bigger crystals from evaporation. I Re x my spice twice before dissolving it in heptane. 1g of spice and 50ml of heptane.

It still not completely dry yet, but my question is if there any tips for collecting them without breaking them apart?
Are this type of crystals easy to handle or they break apart easily?

 

[downwardsfromzero]

They look a bit fragile, and your container looks a bit deep. You might want to try selecting the very best large crystal and removing it from the jar with extreme care. This will be your seed crystal. Then add just enough lukewarm heptane to redissolve the crystals that remain in the jar. Suspend the large crystal on a fine thread so that it is immersed in the - now cooling - solution. Hang it off a pencil or coffee stirrer or similar, then cover the top of the jar with plastic film to slow the evaporation of the solvent. Keep in a place away from light and vibration, at a steady temperature. Some weeks later you might find you have a lovely, large crystal cluster hanging on your thread.

Minimizing the presence of dust and other nucleation points such as scratches on the glass surface will assist in growing larger crystals on a seed crystal.

This wasn't really what you asked but I hope you find the indirect answer helpful nonetheless!

 

[protocluster]

Thank you that's very helpful information. this is my first time experimenting with bigger crystals and it's very rewarding. Ill try to do it again with a seed crystal. :thumb_up: