The precipitation of sparingly-soluble metal ‘oxinates’ induction periods and nucleation rates

The precipitation of barium, strontium, calcium, magnesium, zinc, cadmium, lead, cobalt, nickel and copper 8-quinolinolates (‘oxinates’) was studied in buffer solutions (pHs from 10 to 4.5) at 22 °C: the metal cation and overall ‘oxinate’ with ‘oxine’ concentrations were varied from 0.0005 to 0.010 M (and saturation rations varied from 3 to 3.000). The induction periods, before the main growth surge, were measured at different metal oxinate concentrations (C) and saturation ratios S = (C)/S · P_r^1/3. Nucleation rates were determined from combined measurements of induction periods and final crystal numbers. Nucleation rates varied with saturation ratios according to the relation documentclass{article}pagestyle{empty}begin{document}$ R_n = k_1 cdot S^8 {rm nuclei cm}^{ - {rm 3}} {rm sec}^{ - {rm 1}} $end{document} Induction periods decreased with increasing concentration and supersaturation; over the range t > 3.000 to < 1 sec, . Where t and t were factors that depended on nucleation rates and metal salt solubility. t values decreased and t values increased with decreasing solubility. Precipitation occurred through homogeneous nucleation. Low nucleation rates and prolonged induction periods in solutions of medium to high supersaturation were related to slow rate-determining stages in nucleus formation and to complex formation between metal cation and oxinate anion.