Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
Crystallization is the process by which solids form, where the atoms or molecules are highly organized into a structure known as a crystal. Some ways by which crystals form are precipitating from a solution , freezing , or more rarely deposition directly from a gas .
Before the 20th century, the study of crystals was based on physical measurements of their geometry using a goniometer. [4] This involved measuring the angles of crystal faces relative to each other and to theoretical reference axes (crystallographic axes), and establishing the symmetry of the crystal in question.
Protein crystallization is the process of formation of a regular array of individual protein molecules stabilized by crystal contacts. If the crystal is sufficiently ordered, it will diffract . Some proteins naturally form crystalline arrays, like aquaporin in the lens of the eye.
Most liquids freeze by crystallization, formation of crystalline solid from the uniform liquid. This is a first-order thermodynamic phase transition, which means that as long as solid and liquid coexist, the temperature of the whole system remains very nearly equal to the melting point due to the slow removal of heat when in contact with air, which is a poor heat conductor.
Crystallization of polymers is a process associated with partial alignment of their molecular chains. These chains fold together and form ordered regions called lamellae , which compose larger spheroidal structures named spherulites .
Crystal growth is a major stage of a crystallization process, and consists of the addition of new atoms, ions, or polymer strings into the characteristic arrangement of the crystalline lattice. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] The growth typically follows an initial stage of either homogeneous or heterogeneous (surface catalyzed) nucleation , unless a "seed ...
The solidus temperature specifies the temperature below which a material is completely solid, [2] and the minimum temperature at which a melt can co-exist with crystals in thermodynamic equilibrium. Liquidus and solidus are mostly used for impure substances (mixtures) such as glasses , metal alloys , ceramics , rocks , and minerals .
In chemistry, fractional crystallization is a stage-wise separation technique that relies on the liquid–solid phase change. This technique fractionates via differences in crystallization temperature and enables the purification of multi-component mixtures, as long as none of the constituents can act as solvents to the others. Due to the high ...