Magic rocks
Encyclopedia
Magic Rocks, also sometimes referred to or marketed as Crystal Gardens or Chemical Gardens
, are a novelty item for creating rock-like formations. A typical package of Magic Rocks contains an envelope of liquid sodium silicate
and a small handful of colored "rocks" that are actually chunks of water soluble metallic salts. Some kits come with figurines to give the crystal garden a more exotic look. The "rocks" are placed into the liquid sodium silicate solution, and within several hours colorful crystal towers form. They were invented by two brothers named James and Arthur Ingoldbsy, in the Los Angeles area in 1940. Currently, Magic Rocks are being manufactured in Sheridan, Wyoming
by James' son, Rick Ingoldsby.
Magic Rocks are marketed by NSI International and are available at major retailers like Target, Toys R Us, Meijer Stores, and thousands of craft/hobby store
s, and the internet. The following list details the various salt metals (could be hydrated) used for the different colored crystals:
Chemical Garden
A chemical garden is an experiment in chemistry normally done by adding solid metal salts such as copper sulfate or cobalt chloride to an aqueous solution of sodium silicate . This results in growth of plant like forms in minutes to hours. The chemical garden was first observed and described by...
, are a novelty item for creating rock-like formations. A typical package of Magic Rocks contains an envelope of liquid sodium silicate
Sodium silicate
Sodium silicate is the common name for a compound sodium metasilicate, Na2SiO3, also known as water glass or liquid glass. It is available in aqueous solution and in solid form and is used in cements, passive fire protection, refractories, textile and lumber processing, and automobiles...
and a small handful of colored "rocks" that are actually chunks of water soluble metallic salts. Some kits come with figurines to give the crystal garden a more exotic look. The "rocks" are placed into the liquid sodium silicate solution, and within several hours colorful crystal towers form. They were invented by two brothers named James and Arthur Ingoldbsy, in the Los Angeles area in 1940. Currently, Magic Rocks are being manufactured in Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan, Wyoming
Sheridan is a city in Sheridan County, Wyoming, United States. The 2010 census put the population at 17,444 and a Micropolitan Statistical Area of 29,116...
by James' son, Rick Ingoldsby.
Magic Rocks are marketed by NSI International and are available at major retailers like Target, Toys R Us, Meijer Stores, and thousands of craft/hobby store
Hobby store
A hobby store sells recreational modelling and craft supplies and specialty magazines for model airplanes , train models, ship models, house and building models. Some hobby shops may also sell dolls, and collectible coins and stamps. A subtype of hobby store is a game store, which sells board...
s, and the internet. The following list details the various salt metals (could be hydrated) used for the different colored crystals:
- white, calcium chlorideCalcium chlorideCalcium chloride, CaCl2, is a salt of calcium and chlorine. It behaves as a typical ionic halide, and is solid at room temperature. Common applications include brine for refrigeration plants, ice and dust control on roads, and desiccation...
(mineral, salt, dryer, laundry enhancer) - white, lead(II) nitrateLead(II) nitrateLead nitrate is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Pb2. It commonly occurs as a colourless crystal or white powder and, unlike most other lead salts, is soluble in water....
(lead dye/paint stock, oxidizer, rodenticide) - red, cobalt(II) chlorideCobalt(II) chlorideCobalt chloride is an inorganic compound of cobalt and chloride, with the formula CoCl2. It is usually supplied as the hexahydrate CoCl2·6H2O, which is one of the most commonly used cobalt compounds in the laboratory. The hexahydrate is deep purple in color, whereas the anhydrous form is sky blue...
(dampness marker, complex) - orange, iron(III) chlorideIron(III) chlorideIron chloride, also called ferric chloride, is an industrial scale commodity chemical compound, with the formula FeCl3. The colour of iron chloride crystals depends on the viewing angle: by reflected light the crystals appear dark green, but by transmitted light they appear purple-red...
(dross) - yellow, iron(III) chlorideIron(III) chlorideIron chloride, also called ferric chloride, is an industrial scale commodity chemical compound, with the formula FeCl3. The colour of iron chloride crystals depends on the viewing angle: by reflected light the crystals appear dark green, but by transmitted light they appear purple-red...
- green, nickel(II) nitrateNickel(II) nitrateNickel nitrate is the chemical compound Ni2 or any hydrate thereof. The anhydrous form is not commonly encountered, thus "nickel nitrate" usually refers to nickel nitrate hexahydrate. The formula for this species is written in two ways. Ni2.6H2O and, more descriptively [Ni6]2...
(nickel stock) - blue, copper(II) sulfate (mineral, copper stock, oxidizer, algicide, fungicide, pesticide)
- purple, manganese(II) chlorideManganese(II) chlorideManganese chloride describes a series of compounds with the formula MnCl2x, where the value of x can be 0, 2, or 4. The tetrahydrate is the most common form of "manganese chloride". MnCl2·4H2O, but the anhydrous form and dihydrate MnCl2·2H2O are also known...
- magenta, manganese(II) chlorideManganese(II) chlorideManganese chloride describes a series of compounds with the formula MnCl2x, where the value of x can be 0, 2, or 4. The tetrahydrate is the most common form of "manganese chloride". MnCl2·4H2O, but the anhydrous form and dihydrate MnCl2·2H2O are also known...
, (complex)