RATES OF NUCLEATION IN THE CRYSTALLIZATION OF SUCROSE

Batch crystallization of sucrose from aqueous solution has been studied, with crystal nucleation and growth initiated by the addition of sucrose "seeds" of average diameter 10-mu-m. Changes in crystal number and size were followed by on-line laser light diffraction. The rate of nucleation was obtained from the change of crystal numbers for the size category with mean size 2.9-mu-m. There was an exponential increase of 2.9-mu-m crystals with time, a quantitative demonstration that secondary nucleation is self-enhancing. The crystal nucleation rate was found to be linearly dependent upon the total surface area of all the crystals present.