Growth and characterisation of triammonium citrate

Single crystals of triammonium citrate are grown from aqueous solution and characterized using X-ray and etching studies. Using single crystal X-ray diffraction, the crystal is found to be orthorhombic with lattice parametersa = 6·223 Å,b = 15·048 Å andc = 11·056 Å. Surface studies on the as-grown faces reveal stratigraphic patterns. Of the several etchants tried, glacial acetic acid appears to be the best etchant for revealing dislocation sites on the as-grown faces.