Editing Freezing (section)

==Crystallization==
{{main|Crystallization}}

Most liquids freeze by crystallization, formation of [[crystal|crystalline solid]] from the uniform liquid. This is a first-order thermodynamic [[phase transition]], which means that as long as solid and liquid coexist, the temperature of the whole system remains very nearly equal to the [[melting point]] due to the slow removal of heat when in contact with air, which is a poor heat conductor.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}} Because of the [[latent heat of fusion]], the freezing is greatly slowed and the temperature will not drop anymore once the freezing starts but will continue dropping once it finishes.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

Crystallization consists of two major events, [[nucleation]] and [[crystal growth]]. "'''Nucleation'''" is the step wherein the molecules start to gather into clusters, on the [[nanometer]] scale, arranging in a defined and periodic manner that defines the [[crystal structure]]. "'''Crystal growth'''" is the subsequent growth of the nuclei that succeed in achieving the critical cluster size.