Method of protecting the surfaces of soluble salt crystals

Claim 1

A METHOD OF PROTECTING THE SURFACES OF INDIVIDUAL SOLUBLE SALT CRYSTALS AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRACKS AND IMPERFECTIONS APPARENT ON ELECTRON MICROSCOPE EXAMINATION, UPON REMOVING THE CRYSTAL FROM A BATH OF LIQUID IN WHICH THERE IS DISSOLVED MATERIAL THE SAME AS THAT CONSTITUTING THE CRYSTAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS, IMMEDIATELY UPON REMOVING THE CRYSTAL FROM THE BATH AND WHILE IT STILL HAS LIQUID OF THE BATH ON ITS SURFACE, WASHING THE LIQUID SOLUTION FROM THE CRYSTAL BY SUBMERGING AND AGITATING THE CRYSTAL IN A BATH OF A VISCOUS FILM-FORMING SOLUTION IN WHICH THE CRYSTAL IS INSOLUBLE UNTIL THE LIQUID OF THE BATH HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE CRYSTAL AND THE CRYSTAL SURFACE TO BE PRESERVED IS UNIFORMLY WETTED WITH THE FILM-FORMING SOLUTION, REMOVING THE CRYSTAL FROM THE BATH OF FILMFORMING SOLUTION AND SLOWLY DRYING THE ADHERING FILMFORMING SOLUTION ON THE CRYSTAL SURFACE.

Claim 2

A METHOD OF PROTECTING THE SURFACES OF INDIVIDUAL SOLUBLE SALT CRYSTALS AGAINST THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRACKS AND IMPERFECTIONS APPARENT ON ELECTRON MICROSCOPE EXAMINATION, UPON REMOVING THE CRYSTAL FROM A BATH OF LIQUID IN WHICH THERE IS DISSOLVED MATERIAL THE SAME AS THAT CONSTITUTING THE CRYSTAL, SAID METHOD COMPRISING THE FOLLOWING STEPS, IMMEDIATELY UPON REMOVING THE CRYSTAL FROM THE BATH AND WHILE IT STILL HAS LIQUID OF THE BATH ON ITS SURFACE, WASHING THE LIQUID SOLUTION FROM THE CRYSTAL BY SUBMERGING AND AGITATING THE CRYSTAL IN A BATH OF A VISCOUS FILM-FORMING SOLUTION IN WHICH THE CRYSTAL IS INSOLUBLE UNTIL THE LIQUID OF THE BATH HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE CRYSTAL AND THE CRYSTAL SURFACE TO BE PRESERVED IS UNIFORMLY WETTED WITH THE FILM-FORMING SOLUTION, REMOVING THE CRYSTAL FROM THE BATH OF FILMFORMING SOLUTION AND SLOWLY DRYING THE ADHERING FILMFORMING SOLUTION ON THE CRYSTAL SURFACE.