Spherulitic crystallization of holmium tartrates in silica gels

Abstract

Spherulites of holmium tartrate trihydrate and holmium nitro-tartrate monohydrate have been grown in silica gel medium by making holmium nitrate to react with tartaric acid at high supersaturations. The mechanism of spherulitic growth of holmium tartrates is discussed. The spherulitic crystallization is shown to be due to heterogeneous nucleation. In the early stages of growth an amorphous spherical mass gets nucleated inside the gel. Crystal fibers diverge radially from the surface of the spherical mass giving rise to a spherical polycrystalline holmium tartrate. Thermal stability of the two types of spherulites grown in the silica gel shows that the holmium tartrate trihydrate is more stable than holmium nitro-tartrate monohydrate. The surface morphology and internal structure of the spherulites of holmium tartrates have been studied by using scanning electron microscopy. The results on growth kinetics are given by studying the variation of radius of spherulites as a function of time. A non-linear time–size relations under several conditions of growth have been observed, which suggests a non-uniform solute concentration at the crystal surface.