Chemical garden Chemical garden A chemical garden is an experiment in chemistry usually performed by adding metal salts such as copper sulfate or cobalt(II) chloride to an aqueous solution of sodium silicate (otherwise known as waterglass). This results in growth of plant-like forms in minutes to hours. The chemical garden was first observed and described by Johann Rudolf Glauber in 1646. In its original form, the chemical garden involved the introduction of ferrous chloride (FeCl) crystals into a solution of potassium silicate (KSiO). The chemical garden relies on most transition metal silicates being insoluble in water and coloured. A metal salt such
Cobalt(II) oxide Cobalt(II) oxide Cobalt(II) oxide or cobalt monoxide is an inorganic compound that appears as olive-green to red crystals, or as a greyish or black powder. It is used extensively in the ceramics industry as an additive to create blue colored glazes and enamels as well as in the chemical industry for producing cobalt(II) salts. CoO crystals adopt the periclase (rock salt) structure with a lattice constant of 4.2615 Å. It is antiferromagnetic below 16 °C. Cobalt(II,III) oxide decomposes to cobalt(II) oxide at 950 °C: Though commercially available, cobalt(II) oxide may be prepared in the laboratory by electrolyzing a solution of