This lab lets students observe the formation of insoluble substances via a variation on the “Crystal Garden” experiment. Using the Solubility Rules, they’ll determine which metal salts will dissolve in water, and test this. Another step involves determining which ions make up the metals and then what products would form with sodium silicate, and which of those products will form precipitates. Estimated lab time is 1 hour, and set up is less than ten minutes.Supplies would be any colorful metal s