Uniform microcrystalline nickel(II) hydroxide particles have been prepared
via the homogeneous alkalinization of nickel(II) nitrate solutions by urea
hydrolysis. The nature of the precipitated solids depends on the temperatur
e of synthesis. At ca. 423 K, i.e., under the hydrothermal conditions attai
ned by microwave heating, beta-Ni(OH)(2) forms upon the fast ripening of al
pha-Ni(OH)(2). In the range 363-343 K, alpha-Ni(OH)(2) is always the final
product. The evolution of the systems during the precipitation of alpha-Ni(
OH)(2) is analyzed in terms of the kinetic factors that control nucleation
and growth. A precipitation mechanism, based on the principle of minimal st
ructural change, is proposed; it is suggested that the edge-on condensation
of Ni-4(OH)(4)(4+) tetramers is a key step in the sequence of events that
conduct from hexaaquo Ni2+ to alpha-Ni(OH)(2).