The process of forming a crystalline [[structure]] from a fluid or from materials dissolved in the fluid is often referred to as crystallization. In the ancient example referenced by the root [[meaning]] of the word crystal, water being cooled undergoes a [[phase change]] from liquid to solid beginning with small ice crystals that grow until they [[fuse]], forming a polycrystalline structure. The [[physical]] properties of the ice depend on the size and arrangement of the individual crystals, or grains, and the same may be said of metals solidifying from a molten state. | The process of forming a crystalline [[structure]] from a fluid or from materials dissolved in the fluid is often referred to as crystallization. In the ancient example referenced by the root [[meaning]] of the word crystal, water being cooled undergoes a [[phase change]] from liquid to solid beginning with small ice crystals that grow until they [[fuse]], forming a polycrystalline structure. The [[physical]] properties of the ice depend on the size and arrangement of the individual crystals, or grains, and the same may be said of metals solidifying from a molten state. |