Hi, i´ve recently make two little quantities of AP using nearly pure sulfuric acid, and it gave me two kinds of Ap, one is similar to sugar and it shines like it, and the other one is more similar to flour in many aspects. They were created under alike conditions, one at room temperature and the other in the fridge. Could anyone tell me which is the trimmer, and the dimmer one? And the differences between them? Thanks a lot

Thanks a lot mad, but the only thing i wonder now is if it corresponds with the final product, because in one i added the sulfuric drop by drop and in the other i took spoonfulls to add it. in the fridge i obtained the "flour like" form and at room temperature i obtained the "sugar like" form. Does it corresponds with the aspect they have trimmer and dimmer? i asked it because i haven´t seen them separately to recognize them.

i just want to point out that it isnt "dimmer" as in a light dimmer and "trimmer" as in a hedge trimmer. its dimer pronounced dye-muhr and trimer pronounced tri-muhr. clears up a bit of confusion.

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Long

Ass

Sig

Just a thought, another reason for the diferent crystal sizes may be as follows.
All solutes are far more soluble at higher temps if all external factors are kept constant.
The one in the fridge may form a powder like precipitate simply because it is cooler, and so the crystals have much less time to form large organised structures, and so the crystals form far smaller sizes (the solute precipitates out very quickly as it is not very soluble in the solution). In warm solutions however solutes become far more soluble and as their concentration increases (more AP is formed) loose their solubility only very slowly, so crystals have far more time to form large organised structures.

This works when the same solute is used. i.e KNO3.

(make two saturated solutions of KNO3, cool one down very rapidly by placing in a salt ice bath or whatever, and allow one to cool slowely) one will form a powder like precipitate of fine 'needles' the other will form larger crystals.

I am sure that this will contribute to the different sizes of AP crystals formed by the two methods used, but also that madscientist's reason is also extreemly likely.

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There is no spoon!!



[This message has been edited by VX (edited 11-28-2001).]