#Cristalization

In our Structure and Phases lab class, we looked at the microstructure of the phases that formed while this tin and lead alloy cooled. The solid “blobs” are what formed first during cooling, and the “stripes” are called eutectic microstructure. This one is about 40 weight percent tin and 60 weight percent lead. 📸 credit: MS&E student Jacklyn Warber.

The salt I used in this video is monoammonium phosphate. As you can see at the start of the video, when monoammonium phosphate comes into contact with water, its crystal structure breaks apart almost instantly, dissolving into ammonium and dihydrogen phosphate ions that become surrounded by water molecules. . As the water begins to evaporate on the glass slide, the ions become more concentrated and start to reorganize. Nucleation points form where the first tiny crystals appear, and from those points, larger crystals grow outwards. . Monoammonium phosphate is birefringent (it splits light into different paths depending on crystal orientation) so when I use polarized light, these recrystallized structures look like colorful microscopic geometrical jewels. Those pyramidal crystals under the microscope and with polarized light are just amazing! . For this video, I used an Olympus BX41 microscope at up to 200x magnification. #microscopy #microscope #crystals #polarizedlight

😊🔬Tag someone who struggles with compound microscopes in class!✅ #science #microscopic #school #funny #instascience

Microscopes are such fun tools that don’t get pulled out of the cabinet often enough. Here are 8 ways to use them outside of a typical cells unit 👆🏼 What other ways do you use them? I’d love to hear!

Rocks under a microscope! This one is called olivine picrite, the first clip with less color is the rock seen under Plane Polarized Light - this means only one light polarizer is being used & light vibrates on only one plane so only certain minerals will show colors. The more colorful clips are under Cross- polarized light - this uses two polarizers and makes it so that light can only pass through if a mineral interferes. This interference changes the color appearance of the light/ mineral. The really bright minerals are the olivine! Each kind of light shows us different properties of the mineral. Not only does this let us figure out the mineral is in a rock but can show us what processes the rock has been through- has it been subjected to intense heat and pressure from a major geologic event? Have some of the crystals been re-melted along the edges by an igneous intrusion? Have they been broke from high amounts of strain? These are all things we can see using microscopy. #geology #Science #womeninstem #rocks #crystals

Have you ever wondered what something as familiar as snow looks like under the microscope? It turns out it doesn’t always match the picture we have in our heads. I took freshly fallen snow straight to the microscope, knowing we only had a few moments before it melted. What appeared wasn’t the classic snowflake shape we expect, but ice-like crystal structures changing in real time as they warmed. Watching them melt on the slide is a reminder that timing, preparation, and observation matter —even in the simplest experiments. Moments like this are why microscopy is such a powerful way to train your eye. You don’t just see structure —you see process. Now I’m curious —what should we put under the microscope next that’s relevant to pathology or histology? Drop your suggestions in the comments. #digitalpathology #microscopy #patternrecognition #trlblzr

The invisible becomes visible under the microscope #microscopes #science #funlabvideos

Cells under the microscope #science #teaching #microscope

DIY Science: Microscopy lighting tricks It might not be your equipment, it might be how your are bending light. Turn into a Lightbender not into Airbender(that’s a thing right)? #science #diyscience #learning #microscope

Microscope tips: Low power for locating cells, high power for clear organelle views. Image dark? Adjust diaphragm. Enjoy the science! #MicroscopeTips #ScienceEducation #Biology #LabWork #Learning #ScienceIsCool #EduReels

Building the pyramids on a microscopic scale! 🐪 Common salt crystlization. . . . #science #biology #microscopy

#stool sample Can you dia….it?!