why is there a loss of material during recrystallization experiments, even if there is no improvement in purity?
Recrystallization works by dissolving a solute in appropriate solvent. The solute is not soluble at room temperature but the solubility increases as you increase the temperature.
So when the solution is heated, all the solute taken gets dissolved in the solvent at high temperature and isilie impurities therefore is departed out and can be filtered off.
Now when the solution is allowed to cool, some of the solute starts precipitating out from the solution and the solution becomes saturated with the solute ,ie some of the solute is still dissolved (because the solubility decreases at low temperature) and some has got precipitated out in form of pure crystals.
That's why there is loss of material because some of the material remains dissolved in the solvent .
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