Heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation of strontium sulphate

Abstract

Heterogeneous and homogeneous nucleation processes of strontium sulphate have been studied, using a homogeneous precipitation technique together with electronic particle counting. Four different heterogeneous nucleation processes were observed in solutions purified by conventional filtration. In solutions purified by continued circulation through a fibre-glass filter mat, homogeneous nucleation was observed at supersaturations about 10.75. The rate of homogeneous nucleation was found to depend on the 27th power of the sulphate concentration, indicating that the nucleus contains 52 ions. The results support the theory of homogeneous nucleation presented by Nielson.