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Recrystallization: Solid–Solution Equilibria01:10

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Recrystallization is a purification technique used to separate impurities from solid compounds. In this technique, no chemical reactions occur. Instead, it exploits physical properties only, specifically, the solubility differences between the desired compound and impurities, either at a single temperature or at different temperatures, and under other selected conditions. The solid-solution equilibrium (solubility equilibrium) of each component in the solution represents a binary phase...
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Heating a crystalline solid increases the average energy of its atoms, molecules, or ions, and the solid gets hotter. At some point, the added energy becomes large enough to partially overcome the forces holding the molecules or ions of the solid in their fixed positions, and the solid begins the process of transitioning to the liquid state or melting. At this point, the temperature of the solid stops rising, despite the continual input of heat, and it remains constant until all of the solid is...
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Crystallization is a phase transformation process in which crystals are precipitated from a supersaturated solution or formed from other sources. During crystallization, atoms or molecules arrange themselves into a well-defined, rigid crystal lattice to minimize energy.
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Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition02:33

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Some solids can transition directly into the gaseous state, bypassing the liquid state, via a process known as sublimation. At room temperature and standard pressure, a piece of dry ice (solid CO2) sublimes, appearing to gradually disappear without ever forming any liquid. Snow and ice sublimate at temperatures below the melting point of water, a slow process that may be accelerated by winds and the reduced atmospheric pressures at high altitudes. When solid iodine is warmed, the solid sublimes...
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Liquid–Solid Solutions01:29

Liquid–Solid Solutions

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The process of a solid dissolving in a liquid to form a solution is governed by the solubility limit, which is the maximum amount of the solid substance, or solute, that can be dissolved in a specific volume of the liquid or solvent. As the solute dissolves, it reaches a point where no more solute can be dissolved at a given temperature - this is known as the saturation point. However, if further solute is added and it manages to dissolve, the solution becomes supersaturated. Supersaturated...
36
Solid–Solid Solutions01:24

Solid–Solid Solutions

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The temperature-composition phase diagram of two solids, A and B, which are immiscible in the solid phase but form miscible liquids, shows that when the temperature is low, these two exist as separate, pure solids (A and B). As the temperature increases, they transition into a single-phase liquid solution where A and B coexist. Moving from point a1 to a2 in the phase diagram, the composition changes such that solid B begins to separate from the solution, enriching the remaining liquid with A.
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Methane Hydrate Crystallization on Sessile Water Droplets
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A metastable liquid melted from a crystalline solid under decompression.

Chuanlong Lin1, Jesse S Smith1, Stanislav V Sinogeikin1

  • 1HPCAT, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA.

Nature Communications
|January 24, 2017
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers discovered that a high-pressure bismuth crystal can melt into a stable, metastable liquid below its melting point. This pressure-induced liquid state can persist for hours, offering new insights into material phase transitions.

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Area of Science:

  • Materials Science
  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Thermodynamics

Background:

  • Metastable liquids, such as supercooled water, exist below their normal freezing points.
  • Metastable liquids can also appear transiently during solid-state transformations.
  • It is unknown if crystalline solids can directly melt into stable metastable liquids.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the possibility of a crystalline solid melting directly into a sustainable metastable liquid.
  • To explore the conditions under which such a phase transition can occur.

Main Methods:

  • High-pressure experiments on bismuth.
  • Decompression processes to induce phase transitions.
  • Observation of liquid and crystalline phases under varying pressure and temperature.

Main Results:

  • A high-pressure crystalline phase of bismuth was observed to melt into a metastable liquid below the melting line via decompression.
  • This decompression-induced metastable liquid state remained stable for hours under static conditions.
  • External perturbations like heating or cooling induced transformations from the metastable liquid to crystalline phases.
  • The observed phenomenon occurred in a pressure-temperature region similar to that of supercooled liquid bismuth.

Conclusions:

  • Crystalline solids can melt into sustainable metastable liquids, challenging previous assumptions.
  • Decompression is a viable method to induce and stabilize metastable liquid phases.
  • Metastable liquids, particularly pressure-induced ones, may be more common than previously recognized.