Vapor Nucleation at a Liquid–Liquid Interface

The theory describing the conditions for the onset of homogeneous nucleation of the vapor phase in a liquid has been modified to include the possibility of nucleation at the interface between two pure liquids. In order to test these predictions, some experiments, which involve the measurement of the limit of superheat of a liquid, have been performed. In these experiments a droplet of one liquid is heated in an immiscible “host” liquid until the droplet explodes into its vapor. The results for the liquids tested (water droplets in silicone fluid and ether droplets in glycerine) are consistent with the theoretical predictions.