In crystallography, water of crystallization or water of hydration or crystallization water is water that occurs in crystals. Water of crystallization is necessary for the maintenance of crystalline properties, but capable of being removed by sufficient heat. It is the total weight of water retained by certain salts at a given temperature and is mostly present in a definite (stoichiometric) ratio. Classically, "water of crystallization" refers to water that is found in the crystalline framework of a metal complex but which is not directly bonded to the metal ion.
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Hydrated copper(II) sulfate is bright blue.
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Anhydrous copper(II) sulfate is colorless.
Upon crystallization from water or moist solvents, many compounds incorporate water molecules in their crystalline frameworks.
Compared to inorganic salts, proteins crystallize with unusually large amounts of water in the crystal lattice. A water content of 50% is not uncommon. The extended hydration shell is what allows the protein crystallographer to argue that the conformation in the crystal is not too far from the native conformation in solution.
Read more about Water Of Crystallization: Nomenclature, Position in The Crystal Structure, Analysis, Other Solvents of Crystallization, Table of Crystallization Water in Some Inorganic Halides
Famous quotes containing the words water of and/or water:
“If you keep your feathers well oiled the water of criticism will run off as from a duck’s back.”
—Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (1842–1911)
“The clock runs down
timeless and still.
The days and nights turn hours to years
and water in a gutter marks the circle of another world
hating, resentful, and afraid
stagnant, and green, and full of slimy things.”
—Margaret Abigail Walker (b. 1915)