Review: Nucleation in solutions revisited

Existing and new results in nucleation in solutions are outlined from a unified point of view. The thermodynamics of the process is considered and expressions are given for the supersaturation, the nucleation work and the size of the nucleus in homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation. It is shown how the nucleation theorem can be used for a model-independent determination of the nucleus size from experimental data. The mechanism and kinetics of nucleation are also considered and formulae are presented for the supersaturation dependence of the monomer attachment frequency and the stationary rate of homogeneous or heterogeneous nucleation. General expressions for the induction time and the critical supersaturation ratio for crystallization are given. An approximate formula is derived for estimating the width of the metastable zone with the help of data for the solubility of the substance crystallized. Existing experimental data are used for verification of the validity of some of the presented theoretical dependences.