what happens when a seed crystal is placed into a saturated solution?
The seed crystal provides a surface upon which the molecules in solution have a place to grow. Technically, if the solution is JUST saturated, there is no tendency for the crystal to grow but if the solution is slightly over saturated the excess solute will crystallize. And the seed crystal is where it will crystallize.
When a seed crystal is placed into a saturated solution, several things can happen. Here are the steps:
1. The saturated solution contains a high concentration of solute that is at or near its maximum solubility in the solvent. This means that the solvent is unable to dissolve any more solute at a given temperature.
2. When the seed crystal is introduced into the saturated solution, it acts as a site for the solute particles to gather and form a solid.
3. The solute particles in the solution will start to adhere to the surface of the seed crystal. This process is known as nucleation.
4. As more and more solute particles join the seed crystal, they arrange themselves in a regular geometric pattern, known as a crystal lattice.
5. The crystal lattice grows as more solute particles continue to attach to the seed crystal, expanding the size of the crystal.
6. Eventually, the growth of the crystal reaches a point where the rate of solute particles attaching to the crystal equals the rate at which solute particles are being released back into the solution. This establishes a state of dynamic equilibrium.
7. The crystal continues to grow until it either exceeds the limited solute available in the solution or until the conditions (such as temperature or pressure) change.
Overall, when a seed crystal is placed into a saturated solution, it provides a surface for the solute to gather and promotes the growth of a crystal by allowing more solute particles to join the crystal lattice.
When a seed crystal is placed into a saturated solution, several things can happen:
1. Nucleation: The seed crystal provides a surface for the dissolved solute particles to adhere to. As a result, more solute particles come together and arrange themselves in an ordered manner around the seed crystal. This process is known as nucleation.
2. Crystal Growth: Once the solute particles begin to adhere to the seed crystal, they start to arrange themselves into a crystal lattice structure. This process is called crystal growth. The crystal grows layer by layer as more solute particles continue to attach onto the surface of the crystal.
3. Supersaturation: By introducing a seed crystal, the system can become supersaturated. Supersaturation occurs when the solution contains more dissolved solute than is normally possible at that temperature and pressure. The seed crystal provides a starting point for the excess solute to come out of the solution and form additional crystals.
It's important to note that the specific outcome may vary depending on factors such as temperature, concentration, and the nature of the solute and solvent.