Nucleation kinetics from metastable zone widths for sonocrystallization of l-phenylalanine

Area of Science:

• Crystallization Science
• Chemical Engineering
• Acoustics

Background:

• Crystallization is crucial for pharmaceuticals and materials science.
• Understanding metastable zone width (MSZW) is key to controlling crystallization.
• Ultrasound's impact on MSZW requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of ultrasound on the metastable zone width (MSZW) of l-phenylalanine crystallization from aqueous solution.
• To analyze nucleation parameters influenced by ultrasound during crystallization.

Main Methods:

• Solubility of l-phenylalanine in water measured gravimetrically from 293.15-333.15K.
• Metastable zone width (MSZW) measured using a conventional polythermal method under varying cooling rates and saturation temperatures.
• Experiments conducted both with and without ultrasound application.

Main Results:

• MSZW increased with cooling rates and decreased with saturation temperature.
• Ultrasound application significantly reduced MSZW across all experimental conditions.
• Analysis revealed a decreased apparent nucleation order and increased nucleation rate constant in the presence of ultrasound.

Conclusions:

• Ultrasound effectively controls MSZW in l-phenylalanine crystallization.
• The findings provide insights into ultrasound-assisted crystallization for enhanced nucleation control.
• This study contributes to optimizing crystallization processes through acoustic cavitation.