Why is it much easier to nucleate gas bubbles than theory predicts?

Bubble nucleation from supersaturated gas solutions generally takes place at much lower supersaturations than are expected from the theory. Furthermore, the same theory predicts that the threshold concentration of gas needed to cause nucleation should be essentially independent of the gas species used, a finding contradicted by experiment. There are two general explanations: first, that the theory is wrong, or second, that there is a previously unidentified factor which is influencing the results of the experiments. Given the success of the fundamental theory in other areas, the second explanation is preferred. The previously unrecognized factor is identified here as being the surface activity of the gases which form the bubbles.