NUCLEATION - MEASUREMENTS, THEORY, AND ATMOSPHERIC APPLICATIONS

New experiments have succeeded in measuring actual rates of nucleation and are revealing the shortcomings of classical nucleation theory, wh ich assumes that the molecular-scale regions of the new phase may be t reated using bulk thermodynamics and planar surface free energies. In response to these developments, new theories have been developed that incorporate information about molecular interactions in a more realist ic fashion. This article reviews recent experimental and theoretical a dvances in the study of nucleation of liquids from the vapor and of cr ystals from the melt, with particular emphasis on phenomena that relat e to particle formation in the atmosphere.