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Crystallization: Study Questions/Answers

Crystallization is a technique used to purify solid compounds based on principles of solubility. Compounds are more soluble in hot liquids than cold liquids, so a saturated hot solution that cools will form crystals of the pure compound as impurities are excluded. Successful crystallization relies on experimentation, observation, imagination, and skill rather than just scientific principles. To crystallize an impure solid, just enough hot solvent is added to dissolve it completely, then the solution cools and crystals form as the solute molecules fit the crystal geometry and remain rather than staying in solution. The chilled solution is then filtered to isolate the pure crystals.

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335 views1 page

Crystallization: Study Questions/Answers

Crystallization is a technique used to purify solid compounds based on principles of solubility. Compounds are more soluble in hot liquids than cold liquids, so a saturated hot solution that cools will form crystals of the pure compound as impurities are excluded. Successful crystallization relies on experimentation, observation, imagination, and skill rather than just scientific principles. To crystallize an impure solid, just enough hot solvent is added to dissolve it completely, then the solution cools and crystals form as the solute molecules fit the crystal geometry and remain rather than staying in solution. The chilled solution is then filtered to isolate the pure crystals.

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Priya Sharma
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© © All Rights Reserved
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Crystallization

Study Questions/Answers from the Handbook for Organic Chemistry Lab


Crystallization is a technique which chemists use to purify solid compounds. It is one of the
fundamental procedures each chemist must master to become proficient in the laboratory.
Crystallization is based on the principles of solubility: compounds (solutes) tend to be more
soluble in hot liquids (solvents) than they are in cold liquids. If a saturated hot solution is
allowed to cool, the solute is no longer soluble in the solvent and forms crystals of pure
compound. Impurities are excluded from the growing crystals and the pure solid crystals can be
separated from the dissolved impurities by filtration.
This simplified scientific description of crystallization does not give a realistic picture of how the
process is accomplished in the laboratory. Rather, successful crystallization relies on a blend of
science and art; its success depends more on experimentation, observation, imagination, and skill
than on mathematical and physical predictions. Understanding the process of crystallization in
itself will not make a student a master crystallizer, rather, this understanding must be combined
with laboratory practice to gain proficiency in this technique.

How to do a crystallization
To crystallize an impure, solid compound, add just enough hot solvent is added to it to
completely dissolve it. The flask then contains a hot solution, in which solute molecules both
the desired compound and impurities move freely among the hot solvent molecules. As the
solution cools, the solvent can no longer hold all of the solute molecules, and they begin to
leave the solution and form solid crystals. During this cooling, each solute molecule in turn
approaches a growing crystal and rests on the crystal surface. If the geometry of the molecule fits
that of the crystal, it will be more likely to remain on the crystal than it is to go back into the
solution. Therefore, each growing crystal consists of only one type of molecule, the solute. After
the solution has come to room temperature, it is carefully set in an ice bath to complete the
crystallization process. The chilled solution is then filtered to isolate the pure crystals and the
crystals are rinsed with chilled solvent

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