Heterogeneous nucleation of clathrates from supercooled tetrahydrofuran (THF)/water mixtures, and the effect of an added catalyst

The statistics of liquid-to-crystal nucleation are measured for clathrate-forming mixtures of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and water using an automatic lag time apparatus (ALTA). We measure the nucleation temperature using this new apparatus in which a single sample is repeatedly cooled, nucleated and thawed. This is done for a series of tetrahydrofuran concentrations and in several different sample tubes since the nucleation is heterogeneous and so occurring on the tube wall. The measurements are also done at the same concentrations and tubes but with an added catalyst, a single crystal of silver iodide.