Kidney+Stones

Audio: media type="file" key="Cece and Kendra Crystal Lab final.mp3"
 * KIDNEY STONES AND CRYSTAL FORMATION. Cecilia and Kendra. ** This lab observes crystal formation and looks specifically at the formation of crystals within the kidney. These crystals result in the medical disorder called kidney stones. Crystals form when a liquid undergoes a phase a change and materializes into a solid due to a drop in temperature or change in pressure. In this lab, copper (II) sulfate was added to water at 80°C until saturation and then rapidly cooled to form blue copper sulfate crystals. These crystals were used as test crystals, and were used also to observe how they would dissolve. Once the formation and dissolving of these crystals was observed, calcium oxalate crystals were made to simulate the formation of kidney stones within the human body. Calcium oxalate was formed through the reaction: Ca(OH)2 + C2H2O4 à 2H2O+CaC2O4. Calcium oxalate has a very low saturation point, therefore it was difficult for it to dissolve and required very small amounts of oxalic acid and calcium hydroxide. Once it was dissolved calcium oxalate was heated and evaporated then quickly cooled to crystals. Unlike the copper (II) sulfate at these concentrations, calcium oxalate required evaporation to make crystals. This lab suggests that calcium oxalate kidney stones are only likely to form under specific conditions.
 * Keywords: ** Crystals; Kidney Stones; Oxalic Acid; Copper Sulfate; Calcium Hydroxide; Calcium Oxalate; Saturation