The effect of complex ions on crystal nucleation and growth

The purpose of this paper is to explain and predict the effect of complex ions on the rates of crystal nucleation and growth. This subject is of considerable scientific interest and technological importance in many fields. For example, large quantities of silver bromide crystals for photographic applications are grown from aqueous solution at conditions where complex ions predominate; however, their role in the crystallization process is not well understood. In this paper, we present a theory to describe the kinetics of crystal nucleation and growth in the presence of complex ions and show how these ions affect each step in the growth process. By comparing the growth rate expression with crystal growth measurements, we determine a plausible surface reaction mechanism and then incorporate this growth-rate mechanism into the theory of crystal nucleation.