Spherulitic Growth of Neodymium Tartrate Crystals in Silica Gel

Neodymium tartrate crystals in the form of spherulites were synthesized by using a controlled diffusion system in silica gel at ambient temperature. The influence of growth parameters e.g. reactant concentration, gel pH, gel ageing, on the size and nucleation density of the crystals has been studied. The mechanisms of crystallization for spherulites are described. Three distinct mechanisms are found to be operative. The information presented contributes to the understanding of spherulitic growth in general and that of neodymium tartrate in particular. The results show that under all conditions the crystals attain spherulitic morphology.