Spontaneous Solid—Vapour Transformation of Negative Crystals in Diphenyl

Abstract

Observations show a spontaneous transformation at constant temperature of the form of the negative crystals (inclusions) of own vapours within diphenyl crystals. A study is made of the kinetics of this process. The process leads to the creation of inclusions with equilibrium form. The spontaneous transformation of the negative crystals is a very convenient method for studying the growth rates of the crystal surfaces for very small super‐saturations under very pure conditions. It is established at several different temperatures that the normal rate of growth depends linearly on the curvature of the inclusion (i.e. the supersaturation). The activation energy of the transformation process is calculated from the experimental data.