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Colloidal precipitates01:09

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The high insolubility of some precipitates can result in an unfavorable relative supersaturation. This can lead to colloidal particles with a large surface-to-mass ratio, where adsorption is promoted. For instance, in the precipitation of silver chloride, silver ions are adsorbed on the surface of the colloidal particles, forming a primary layer. This layer attracts ions of opposite charge (such as nitrate ions), forming a diffuse secondary layer of adsorbed ions. This electric double layer...
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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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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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Cell-assisted assembly of colloidal crystallites.

Vamsi K Kodali1, Wouter Roos1, Joachim P Spatz1

  • 1Max Planck Institute for Metals Research, Department of New Materials and Biosystems, Heisenbergstr. 3, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany and Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, Germany.

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|September 9, 2020
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Cells can organize ingested microparticles into crystalline structures, similar to colloidal crystallization. This intracellular process, driven by cell confinement and cytoskeleton dynamics, offers new tools for biophysical research.

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Area of Science:

  • Cell biology
  • Biophysics
  • Colloidal science

Background:

  • Cells ingest foreign particles via phagocytosis.
  • Some cell types organize phagocytosed microparticles into crystalline arrays.
  • Intracellular crystallization is driven by spatial confinement and cytoskeleton dynamics.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the phenomenon of cell-assisted colloidal assembly.
  • To explore the mechanisms driving intracellular crystallization.
  • To highlight the potential applications of this process in biophysical research.

Main Methods:

  • Observation of phagocytosed microparticle organization within cells.
  • Analysis of forces driving crystallization (spatial confinement, cytoskeleton-driven motion).
  • Study of bidisperse mixtures and size segregation within the cell.

Main Results:

  • Cells organize phagocytosed microparticles into crystalline arrays.
  • Cytoskeleton-driven motions anneal defects and purify crystals.
  • Bidisperse mixtures exhibit phase separation, with size-dependent crystallization patterns.
  • Mitochondria participate in size segregation, influenced by membrane tension and curvature.

Conclusions:

  • Intracellular colloidal crystallization is a biologically regulated process.
  • Cell-assisted colloidal assembly provides a novel system for studying biophysical phenomena.
  • This process has potential applications in understanding cytoskeletal dynamics, organelle interactions, and intracellular transport.