How to Grow a Big Alum Crystal

How to Grow a Big Alum Crystal Alum is found in the spices section of the grocery store. That little jar contains small white crystals that, with a bit of time and effort, you can grow a big alum crystal  that looks a bit like a diamond. This takes days to weeks. What You Need for Alum Crystals 1/2 cups hot tap water2-1/2 tablespoons alumnylon fishing linepencil, ruler, or knife2 clean jarsspooncoffee filter/paper towel Grow the Crystals Pour 1/2 cup of hot tap water into a clean jar.Slowly stir in alum, a little at a time, until it stops dissolving. Dont add the whole amount; just enough to saturate the water.Loosely cover the jar with a coffee filter or paper towel (to keep dust out) and allow the jar to sit undisturbed overnight.The next day, pour the alum solution from the first jar into the clean jar. You will see small alum crystals at the bottom of the jar. These are seed crystals that you will use to grow a big crystal.Tie nylon fishing line around the largest, best-shaped crystal. Tie the other end to a flat object (e.g., popsicle stick, ruler, pencil, butter knife). You will hang the seed crystal by this flat object into the jar far enough so that it will be covered in liquid, but wont touch the bottom or sides of the jar. It may take a few tries to get the length just right.When you have the right string length, hang the seed crystal in the jar with the alum solution. Cover it with the coffee filter and gr ow a crystal! Grow your crystal until you are satisfied with its size. If you see crystals starting to grow on the sides or bottom of your jar, carefully remove your crystal, pour the liquid into the clean jar, and put the crystal in the new jar. Other crystals in the jar will compete with your crystal for alum, so it wont be able to get as big if you let these crystals grow. Crystal Growing Tips You can use sewing thread or other string instead of nylon fishing line, but crystals will grow on the entire length of the submerged string. Crystals dont adhere to nylon, so if you use it, you can get bigger and better crystals.Alum is an ingredient used to make pickles. It makes them crispy.

Et cetera, Re, and Sic

Et cetera, Re, and Sic Et cetera, Re, and Sic Et cetera, Re, and Sic By Maeve Maddox When the Latin-loving educated classes finally started taking English seriously enough to write their works in, they brought a lot of Latin terms with them. Some of the terms remain in the language, among them et cetera, re, and sic. Et cetera Commonly abbreviated etc., the Latin phrase et cetera is used at the end of a list to indicate things in addition to those already enumerated: When you go shopping, be sure to buy such staples as flour, rice, sugar, etc. In older texts, you may see it abbreviated as c. The symbol , called the ampersand, originated as a ligature for the Latin word et (and). Note: In writing and printing, a ligature is two or more letters joined together to form one character, like the letters e+t. Etc. is frequently misspelled as â€Å"ect† and mispronounced as [ek setera]. These errors can be avoided by noting that the first part of the phrase is et, not â€Å"ek.† The exact translation of et cetera is â€Å"and the others: et=and, cetera=the others. Re: Another Latin word commonly used in English is re. The Latin phrase â€Å"in re† means â€Å"in the matter of,† or â€Å"concerning.† Traditionally, the word has been written at the top of a letter, either in all caps or with an uppercase R and a lowercase e, followed by a colon: RE: Re: Until recently, Re: was understood as a way to announce the subject of the message to follow: Re: Your letter of May12, 2014 As is the case with many formerly familiar Latin expressions in English, the meaning of Re: has become blurred, and its use is shifting. Many web users believe that it is an abbreviation for regarding. Others use it in email subjects to mean â€Å"Reply.† Sic The Latin word sic in square brackets after a word in quoted material means that something in the quotation is in error. The writer quoting the material inserts [sic] to indicate that the misspelled word or inaccurate fact occurs in the original: The most usual use of [sic] familiar to the general reader is its use to signal a misspelled or word: According to the document, â€Å"Every store on Main Street has the responsibility to provide it’s [sic] own parking.† {Sic] is also used to signal an error of fact. For example: Simpson says, â€Å"In Malory’s Le Morte D’Arthur, that the young Arthur draws Excalibur [sic] from the stone and is recognized as the rightful king.† The error being flagged by [sic] does not point to a misspelling; it has to do with the fact that in Malory, the sword drawn from the stone is not Excalibur. Arthur obtains Excalibur much later, from the Lady of the Lake. Related posts on DailyWritingTips: Regarding Re: What Does Sic Mean? Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:36 Adjectives Describing LightExcited ABOUT, not "for" 50 Synonyms for "Song"