Definition of crystallization Crystallization

crys•tal•li•za•tion

We found 11 definitions of crystallization from 5 different sources.

Word comparison

British English

crystallisation

American English

crystallization

What does crystallization mean?

WordNet

Noun Plural: crystallizations
crystallization - the formation of crystals
		crystallisation, crystallizing
		chemical phenomenon any natural phenomenon involving chemistry (as changes to atoms or molecules)
crystallization - a mental synthesis that becomes fixed or concrete by a process resembling crystal formation
		mental synthesis, construction drawing a figure satisfying certain conditions as part of solving a problem or proving a theorem; "the assignment was to make a construction that could be used in proving the Pythagorean theorem"
crystallization - a rock formed by the solidification of a substance; has regularly repeating internal structure; external plane faces
		crystal
		rock, stone pitching dangerously to one side

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Wiktionary

crystallization (Noun)
The act or process by which a substance in solidifying assumes the form and structure of a crystal, or becomes crystallized.
crystallization (Noun)
The body formed by crystallizing; as, silver on precipitation forms arborescent crystallizations.
crystallization (Noun)
The formation of a solid from a solution, melt, vapour or from a different solid phase.
crystallization (Noun)
The process or the result of becoming more definite or precise.

Webster DictionaryWebster's Unabridged Dictionary 📘

crystallization (n.)
The act or process by which a substance in solidifying assumes the form and structure of a crystal, or becomes crystallized.
crystallization (n.)
The body formed by crystallizing; as, silver on precipitation forms arborescent crystallizations.

Wikipedia

Crystallization is the way that atoms gather to make tightly bonded or connected groups.

Crystallization is a technique to separate solid from liquids. It is the process of formation of solid crystals from a homogeneous solution. For crystallization to occur the solution at hand ought to be supersaturated. Put simply, the solution should contain more solute molecules than it would under ordinary conditions. This can be achieved by various methods -- solvent evaporation, cooling, chemical reaction, 'drowning' being the most common ones used in industrial practice.

To make things clear we can use a simple example. We take a bowl of water to which we add sugar crystals. We keep adding sugar to it until we reach a stage when no more crystals can be dissolved. This solution so obtained is a saturated one. It is interesting to note that we can dissolve more crystals to this particular saturated solution by heating it (since solubility of solutes increases with increase in temperature, although exceptional cases occur). This elevation in temperature causes more sugar crystals to dissolve in it (thus forming a supersaturated solution), but when the temperature of the solution is allowed to attain equilibrium with the surroundings, the solubilty of the solute decreases (because the temperature of the solution has decreased) and the 'excess' sugar so added crystallizes out. This process essentially illustrates the simplest of supersaturation techniques. 'Drowning' is the addition of a