How does crystal formation transform a liquid into a solid?
As more and more crystals are packed into a limited space a liquid will gradually solidify. Crystal growth occurs either by an increase in the number of individual crystals or by an increase in the size of individual crystals. Small, evenly distributed crystals of similar size create a solid with uniform density, while a combination of large and small crystals creates a solid of variable density. The more tightly packed the crystals within a limited space become the denser or harder the solid becomes. What does stability mean in the world of crystals? In the simplest terms, stability means that a crystal (or a solid made from crystals) is unlikely to change once it takes a particular form or shape. Another way of thinking of stability is that more energy (e.g., heat or physical force) is required to disrupt the shape of more stable crystals. Imagine that triglyceride moleculesthe building blocks of crystalsare chairs designed to stack. If the chairs are placed one on top of another, th
