A potential molecular mechanism of ice nucleation on AgI and AgI · AgCl particulates involves rearrangement of ordered water molecule clusters associated with hydrated Ag+ ion patches. This nucleation mechanism is thought to occur rapidly at −5° to −20°C on substrate particles wetted by water. This hypothesis is based on analysis of the rates of ice crystal formation and ice nucleus activities observed in experiments previously conducted in a 1-m3 isothermal cloud chamber using chemical kinetics. These experiments examined the chemistry of wetted AgI colloid particles involving electric charge separations between the particles and adjacent solution. The rate of nucleation is slowed by the presence of alkali and alkaline earth halides in concentrations greater than approximately 10−3 M in the water wetting the particles. Match of the crystal structure of the substrate with that of the ice may have no effect on this mechanism.
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Finnegan et al. (2003) studied this question.
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