Salen This!

You know the perfect gift for someone who likes shiny, yellow crystals? Well, watch this space and I'll teach you how! :p

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Enter salicylaldehyde, commonly referred to as salen, which is a very common ligand in Organometallic Chemistry:

And in its pure state, it manifests itself in the form of flaky, shiny yellow crystals! It's really intriguing, because one usually thinks of crystals as inorganic compounds, consisting of metal ions and their salts. Yet this is but an organic compound, and whenceforth the colour?

Only time will give the answer!