Nucleation at high pressure. II. Wave tube data and analysis

Abstract

Nucleation rate data, obtained from expansion wave tube experiments, are reported for several vapor–gas mixtures at high pressure. Results are given for water–vapor in the presence of helium and nitrogen gas, and for n-nonane in helium and methane. For all these mixtures, carrier gas pressures of 10, 25, and 40 bar have been applied, with temperatures ranging from 230 to 250 K. An extended form of the nucleation theorem (in terms of the derivative of the nucleation rate with respect to carrier gas pressure) is derived, which appears to be very helpful in the interpretation of high pressure data. It can be used to obtain the carrier gas content of the critical nucleus directly from the pressure dependence of experimental nucleation rates. Combining this method with the theoretical considerations of part I of this paper [J. Chem. Phys. 111, 8524 (1999), preceding paper]: the nucleation behavior of water at high pressures of both helium and nitrogen can quantitatively be understood. For n-nonane in helium our “pressure perturbation approach” is also valid. For n-nonane in methane, however, this approach fails because of the high methane solubility in the liquid phase.