Growing a Display Crystal of Recycled Potassium Tris(oxalato)ferrate(III) Trihydrate

Potassium tris(oxalato)ferrate(III) trihydrate is a commonly prepared coordination compound in general or upper-level chemistry laboratories and can be recycled to grow large single crystals that instructors may display when introducing the experiment to classes. Showing the crystal's shape can also be used to briefly introduce students to X-ray crystallography, symmetry, and unit cell dimensions.