[Rishi]

How can i reduce the fluffiness of a precipitate ? At present, the product that precipitates in the flask is so fluffy that it makes the filtration an impossible task. Because it doesnt even pour out of the flask.

[Jorriss]

What's the substance? Do you know? Otherwise, I don't think there is a universal defluffier =/, but hey, maybe there is!

[Rishi]

Well, the substance is a 20-25 % glycolic acid in water. When I add lime it begins to precipitate out as Calcium glycolate. And Calcium glycolate is partly soluble in water.

The fluffiness during precipitation is too much. Imagine a precipitation from just 20-25 % solution literally fillinf up the falsk and blocking all the water in it. Just like a thick fluffy cake.

[orgopete]

Not to answer this question, but more along the line of a "universal defluffer", when I did (re)crystallizations, I always looked at the crystals with a magnifying glass as soon as they began to form. If I saw amorphous solid, I took that as a signal the solid is not pure. I might filter with silica gel or charcoal as needed as one remedy. I expect pure substances to form hard crystals. I cannot say that is a rule, but it seems generally true. (I never succeeded in getting good crystals of dibenylacetone though the NMR spectra looked pretty good. I suspect a small amount of a geometric isomer is preventing good crystal formation, that is pure crystals.)

I shall assume that because a fluffy solid is forming, that it is not pure. In this case, I can image that different salts of calcium might be forming and resist forming nice crystals.