Crystallising dishes

In the chemistry laboratory:

• For crystallising solids from solutions or suspensions
• For evaporating a solution over a burner to accelerate crystallisation
• As a transparent tempering bath on a magnetic stirring plate for beakers or Erlenmeyer flasks

In the household:

• As a casserole or baking dish
• In molecular gastronomy
• In the catering sector

Crystallising dishes are primarily used to crystallise solids from solutions or suspensions by allowing the solvent to evaporate. They can also be used over a burner to speed up the crystallisation process. Unlike beakers, crystallising dishes are much flatter and lack measurement scales.

For example, a saturated copper sulphate solution can be placed in a crystallisation dish as a demonstration experiment. Over several weeks, as the water slowly evaporates, large, beautiful crystals will form.