Let’s explore the effect of crystallization!

Crystallization is the chemical process of transforming a gas, liquid, or solution into a network of bonds that results in a crystal lattice. This process can be used to separate solid components from a solid-liquid mixture, which is why it is often used to purify a solid. The method consists in transferring the component from the liquid phase to the solid phase in the form of precipitated crystals.

Thus, crystallization can be used to separate components of some homogeneous mixture, for example, salt water (NaCl). The separation can be carried out through several types of crystallization, which include selective alteration of the temperature or pressure of the mixture, as well as the addition of other substances.

The shape, size and quality of the crystals obtained will depend on the conditions and the time during which they are allowed to form. If the crystals are too small, they may become covered in impurities, and if they are too large, the impurities may become trapped within the crystal lattice.

Crystals are solid formations that present a well-defined diffraction pattern. They are common in nature and are classified according to their constitution as:

• Solid crystals. They are solid crystalline formations, they have an ordered structure, unlike glass and amorphous compounds (without a regular or ordered shape), which have disordered structures.

• Luminous crystals. They are formations with structures whose ordering degree is intermediate between crystalline and amorphous, they are used to make screens.

• Ionic crystals. They are composed of cations and anions, held together by electrostatic force.

• Covalent crystals. They are made up of atoms joined by covalent bonds, they are very hard.

• Cristales moleculares. They are made up of molecules held together by Van der Waals forces or hydrogen bonds, not by chemical bonds. They have relatively low melting points.

• Metallic crystals. They are made up of atoms of the same metal and almost all of them are good conductors of electricity.

Now let’s see the crystallization process with the following practice and by the way we will obtain some small sweets for those moments in which we need energy.