microcrystallineadj.
/ˌmʌɪkrə(ʊ)ˈkrɪstəlʌɪn/, /ˌmʌɪkrə(ʊ)ˈkrɪstl̩ʌɪn/, U.S. /ˌmaɪkroʊˈkrɪstələn/, /ˈˌmaɪkroʊˈkrɪstəˌlaɪn/ Consisting of very fine (esp. microscopic) crystals.
ΚΠ
1875 Harper's Mag. Apr. 763/1 It occurs in dense microcrystalline masses.
1876 A. H. Green Geol. for Students: Physical Geol. 46 The aid of a pocket lens becomes necessary..to recognise their crystals, and these [rocks] are known as Micro-crystalline.
1895 Proc. Royal Soc. 58 61 (caption) Micro-section from large wrought-iron forging, showing primary and secondary micro-crystalline structure.
1929 W. F. Foshag in G. P. Merrill Minerals from Earth & Sky ii. iv. 228 Chalcedony includes a very dense microcrystalline type of quartz known under a great variety of names.
1962 G. Cremer-Bartels in A. Pirie Lens Metabolism 443 Further purification led to some microcrystalline needles.
1989 Adverse Drug Reactions & Acute Poisoning Rev. 8 183 It is available in microcrystalline and macrocrystalline forms, differing in particle size.
1999 Nature 22 Apr. p. ix/2 In nickel aluminide..superplasticity occurs at a temperature of 450°C below the temperature for the same material in the microcrystalline state.
Compounds
microcrystalline wax n. a type of wax made of a mixture of hydrocarbons of higher molecular weight than those in paraffin waxes, and with a melting point of up to 90°C, which is obtained from the residual lubricating fraction of crude oil and is used in making waxed paper, adhesives, and polishes.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > chemistry > organic chemistry > organic chemicals used in industry > [noun] > others
phenylenediamine1860
resorcin1866
furfuryl alcohol1873
chinosol1896
microcrystalline wax1943
piperonyl butoxide1945
1943 Jrnl. Amer. Pharmaceut. Assoc. (Sci. ed.) 32 111/2 A series of ‘Petro-waxes’, one of which melts at about 160°F. It is a white microcrystalline wax that is available in quantity.
1957 J. H. Van der Have & C. G. Verver Petroleum xi. 339 As its name implies, ‘micro-crystalline wax’ has a very fine crystal structure; it is a flexible and often somewhat sticky product; it has a high molecular weight (550–600) and a melting point within the same range as ceresin.
1972 Oxf. Univ. Gaz. 102 Suppl. No. 3. 10 They [sc. metal objects] are boiled to remove chlorides and after drying in an infra-red cupboard are impregnated with microcrystalline wax.
1992 Pract. Householder Nov. 25/2 Chips and bruises will be hard to hide, and ‘sugary’ dead white patches will not always respond to the recommended treatment of microcrystalline wax.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2001; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.1875