After crystallization, often some solidified flux remains on the surface or inside the desired crystal. This flux may cause defects in the crystal due to the different thermal expansivities of the flux and crystal. A solvent (typically an acid or a base) can dissolve the flux, but its difficult to find a solvent that doesnt also dissolve the crystal. The flux can be removed mechanically using a blade or drill. If the crystal and flux have significantly different boiling points, the flux may be removed with evaporation. Flux can also be removed through recrystallization through use of a seed in the liquid phase, leaving the flux behind as the crystals accumulate.
The removal of excess flux is important to assess a crystals properties, as the flux can affect measurements. For example, tin and lead super conduct at low temperatures, if a sample has tin or lead flux superconductivity can be observed even if the desired crystal is not a superconductor.