Final answer:
Mother liquor is the solution left after crystals are removed, containing impurities, whereas slurry is a mixture of uncrystallized solids and liquids. Impurities remain in the mother liquor after crystallization and can affect the structure and properties of solids by altering their electrical, optical, or mechanical characteristics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Difference Between Mother Liquor and Slurry & Impurities After Crystallization
The main difference between mother liquor and slurry is their composition during the crystallization process. Mother liquor refers to the liquid remaining after crystals have been formed and removed from the solution; it typically contains the impurities that were not incorporated into the crystal lattice. Slurry, on the other hand, is a mixture of solids and liquids where the solids have not yet fully crystallized.
After crystallization, impure substances usually remain dissolved in the mother liquor. This is because during crystallization, the pure substance tends to form a crystalline solid, wherein atoms, ions, or molecules are arranged in a repeating pattern, excluding most of the impurities. However, at a certain threshold of purity, like 99.999% (5 nines) for silicon in the electronic industry, impurities can be intentionally introduced to alter the properties of the crystalline solid, such as creating n-type or p-type semiconductors.
Impurities can have a significant effect on the structure and properties of a solid. In crystalline structures, impurities may either occupy interstitial spaces, replace host atoms, or distort the crystal lattice, which alters the electrical, optical, or mechanical properties. In the case of highly pure substances required for specific applications like IC chips production, even minute amounts of impurities can substantially impact performance.