From ANDREW DEACON
Beth Grear’s letter raises an interesting subject – what exactly do
microwaves do to water (Letters, 1 February)?
After trying to unsuccessfully grow some copper sulphate crystals with
our children, and having only obtained a cluster of hundreds of small crystals
around the seed crystal, I handed over the problem to my wife (ex science
teacher). Taking the same solution in the same jam jar, complete with the
cluster of small crystals hanging from a thread, the whole lot was put into
the kitchen microwave. The completed result, after a quick reheat to boiling
and undisturbed cooling overnight, was a large, 2-3 centimetre crystal in
almost perfect condition. The only difference in our techniques was the
use of the microwave instead of a saucepan.
The microwave has since produced other superb crystals.
Andrew Deacon Oslo, Norway
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