I'm a sucker for all things shiny and pretty.
I've heard a lot about the Bismuth hopper crystals, and can't help but be completely captivated. Take this, for example:
http://0.tqn.com/d/chemistry/1/0/U/_/bismuth2.jpgI've been thinking about buying some Bismuth to try and create these crystals for myself, but from what I've heard and seen on youtube, the crystals formed are firstly small, and secondly, mostly dark blue and black, with none of the golden brilliance seen in the above pick. The stuff I'm thinking of buying is this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/100-grams-High-Purity-4N-99-99-Bismuth-Bi-Metal-Lumps-EFN-/181273826248?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a34c313c8According to the seller this is 99.99% pure - but apparently, in order to get the golden-red-green brilliance it needs to be in the order of 99.99999%. In all of the videos I've seen about forming these crystals, there always seems to be this slag that forms on top of the molten bismuth - I always thought that it was far too much for a mere 0.01%. Side question, anyone know why?
I'm a high school student and as such I'll have access to a fairly basic lab this year. (Should be able to use conc. acids, definitely crucibles, etc but no specialized equipment) Is there any way or particular method I can use to firstly try and form the largest crystals possible, and secondly try and obtain these incredible golden and red hues, possibly using further purification... Or is this only possible with a proper science lab?
Also, If anyone knows why Bismuth forms these hopper crystals I'd love to know!
Thanks!