Prediction of dextrose nucleation kinetics by the growth rate of crystallites

An investigation on the dextrose nucleation carried out in the presence of seeds is reported. Induction time and nucleation point were measured in seeded solutions by eye and by using a nephelometer. The nucleation point was interpreted as the instant when crystallites, generated by seeds, grow up to crystals of detectable size. By applying the approach proposed by Kashchiev [1], the induction time values obtained were satisfactorily predicted when a birth and spread growth rate model was assumed. Moreover, by extending the same approach to the prediction of the nucleation point, obtained by linear cooling, a nucleation curve in good agreement with the experimental points was determined.