Answer 1:
Crystals are important to Chemistry because
they keep a molecule from moving very much, and
we can see it's structure, comprised of each
atom. This has been extremely useful with
proteins in biochemistry. Sometimes you can use
the same molecule in a crystal, but it will make
different crystal shapes. This will tell the
scientist new information about the properties
of the molecule. In fact, crystallography (the
study of crystals) was used to determine the
shape of double stranded DNA - what makes you
and me unique!
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Answer 2:
Crystals are important to Science because
almost any solid matter in nature will form
crystals, given the chance.
When a solid forms, the atoms of the solid
pack themselves into the most efficient way
possible in order for the forces between the
atoms that hold the solid together to work. This
efficient way creates a very orderly network or
grid of atoms. This grid of atoms is called a
crystal.
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