REVISED PARAMETRIZATION OF THE DILLMANN-MEIER THEORY OF HOMOGENEOUS NUCLEATION

The Dillmann-Meier theory of homogeneous nucleation in its original form contains an inconsistency which can be removed by taking into account imperfect vapor effects. The predicted nucleation rates of the corrected model are much larger than those of the original model. Agreement between theory and experiment can be restored, however, by a revised parametrization of the model, involving only one free parameter tau. Models suggest a range of possible values for this parameter, with tau = 0 yielding good agreement between predictions and data for n-nonane, water, and the lower alcohols. This value is characteristic of a class of nucleation models which includes the classical theory and a self-consistent derivative, modified to incorporate a size-dependent surface tension.