Anomalous Variations of Crystal Habits and Solution Properties in the Context of the Crystallization Medium Structure

The effect of the real structure of solutions on crystallization is one of the basic issues of crystallogenesis, which is also important for resolving problems of genetic mineralogy. The study of the NaNO3-H2O and KNO3-H2O model systems yielded new data on anomalous characteristics of crystal-forming systems, including morphological and kinetic properties of crystals, crystal-solution equilibrium, and physical properties of solutions (light scattering, thermal properties, IR parameters, pH), providing information on the structure of solutions. The internally consistent data confirm the previously suggested variations in structural heterogeneity of solutions related to minor (2-4%) variations in their composition, which result in numerous disturbances of monotonicity (thermal-concentration oscillations) in the liquidus curves of salts. It is shown that these variations can be caused by variable size and composition of crystal hydrate clusters. The experimental data indicate that the effect of the real solution structure on crystal morphology and crystal-solution equilibrium is enhanced in multicomponent systems, including natural crystal-forming systems. Anomalous faceting and habit, zoning, a sectorial structure of crystals, and nonuniform entrapment of admixtures cannot be ruled out in these systems.