Fractional crystallization (chemistry)

Fractional crystallization is like making a snow cone, but with chemicals instead of snow.

First, you take a special liquid that has a bunch of different chemicals dissolved in it. Think of it like a fruity drink with different types of fruit pieces in it.

Then, you slowly cool down the liquid while stirring it. This is like taking the fruity drink and putting it in the freezer while stirring it with a spoon.

As the liquid cools, some of the chemicals start sticking together and forming solid crystals. This is like how ice starts forming in your fruity drink as it cools down. But, different chemicals have different melting points (the temperature at which they turn from solid to liquid), so they will start forming crystals at different temperatures.

When you take out the solid crystals that form, you are removing some of the chemicals from the original liquid. This is like taking out the pieces of fruit from your fruity drink.

If you repeat this process many times, each time cooling the liquid a little more and taking out the crystals that form, you can eventually separate out all the different chemicals in the original mixture.

In summary, fractional crystallization is a way to separate different chemicals in a liquid mixture by slowly cooling it down and removing the crystals that form at different temperatures.