The Beautiful World of Microscopic Crystals

Viewing and imaging crystals through a microscope using polarized light evokes a littany of feelings. The crystals are beautiful, haunting, mesmerizing and, most importantly, fun!

I recently added linear polarizing film to my microscopy arsenal. Using the technique can reveal various birefringent sctructures in living organisms. But to get the most bang from my polarizing buck I tried viewing crystals, and I wasn’t disappointed.

Crystals can be formed in several ways. Chemicals/substances can be dissolved and then evaporated, melted, remelted, and combined in any number of ways. Solutions can be in water, alcohol, even soft drinks! My first slide was a melt of Citric Acid that I had purchased some time ago to cook with (although I can’t remember what I was going to use it for). This was a proof of concept, and while colorful there wasn’t anything special about the results. I also dissolved salt and sugar to see what they looked like while evaporating. This was all a good learning experience but I was going for something more artistic.

Next I took a look at my hydroponic chili plant nutrients. I had some Epsom Salt Crystals, as well as various unnamed chemicals I purchased for general plant nutrition. The Epsom Salts provided very colorful results when dissolved in water, while the general nutrients displayed much more structured crystals as the water evaporated.

It was when I discovered the Crystal Art Photomicrography Facebook Group that I began to learn more about techniques and gain inspiration from the beautiful work of others. Melted Paracetamol (Tylenol), Urea and Sulfur revealed the dramatic images I was longing for. While the images below represent a few examples of my first days of learning, I believe that experience will give me the ability to better predict and target the results.

Paracetamol (Tylenol) Melted and Cooled: