Enormous, highly pure, single crystal substances can be grown from a solution at the metastable boundary between an unsaturated and supersaturated solution. Metastability is a general scientific concept which describes states of delicate equilibrium Here, a monopotassium phosphate crystal grown to create frequency doubling optics for the NIF laser. Monopotassium phosphate (also potassium dihydrogen phosphate, KDP, or monobasic potassium phosphate, MKP) -- 24 -- Second harmonic generation ( SHG; also called frequency doubling) is a nonlinear optical process in which Photons interacting with a nonlinear The National Ignition Facility, or NIF, is a Laser -based Inertial confinement fusion (ICF research device under construction at the Lawrence [1]

The term supersaturation refers to a solution that contains more of the dissolved material than could be dissolved by the solvent under normal circumstances. In Chemistry, a solution is a Homogeneous Mixture composed of two or more substances A solvent is a liquid or gas that dissolves a solid liquid or gaseous Solute, resulting in a Solution. It can also refer to a vapor of a compound that has a higher (partial) pressure than the vapor pressure of that compound. A vapor or vapour (see Spelling differences) is a substance in the Gas phase at a Temperature lower than its Critical temperature Vapor pressure (also known as equilibrium vapor pressure or saturation vapor pressure) is the Pressure of a Vapor in equilibrium

Condensation

Small particles (seeds) can trigger the separation of the dissolved material from the solvent or condensation of the vapor. In Particle physics, a trigger is a system that uses simple criteria to rapidly decide which events in a Particle detector to keep when only a small fraction Condensation is the change of the physical state of aggregation (or simply state of matter from gaseous phase into liquid phase Seeds triggering the condensation of vapor are referred to as condensation nuclei, as in the case of water vapor. Cloud condensation nuclei or CCN s (also known as cloud seeds) are small particles (typically 0 General properties of water vapor Evaporation/sublimation Whenever a water molecule leaves a surface it is said to have evaporated In the solid form these seeds can lead to the formation of crystallites or even large single crystals. A crystallite is a domain of solid-state matter that has the same structure as a single Crystal. In Materials science, a crystal is a Solid in which the constituent Atoms Molecules or Ions are packed in a regularly ordered repeating Supersaturation is a measure of the deviation of a dissolved salt crystal from its equilibrium value.

Preparation

Supersaturated solutions are prepared or result when some condition of a saturated solution is changed, for example temperature, volume (as by evaporation), or pressure. Temperature is a physical property of a system that underlies the common notions of hot and cold something that is hotter generally has the greater temperature The volume of any solid plasma vacuum or theoretical object is how much three- Dimensional space it occupies often quantified numerically Evaporation is the process by which Molecules in a Liquid state (e Pressure (symbol 'p' is the force per unit Area applied to an object in a direction perpendicular to the surface

Examples

Carbonated water is a supersaturated solution of carbon dioxide gas in water. Carbon dioxide ( Chemical formula:) is a Chemical compound composed of two Oxygen Atoms covalently bonded to a single Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. At the elevated pressure in the bottle, carbon dioxide can dissolve in water more than at atmospheric pressure. A bottle is a container with a neck that is narrower than the body and a "mouth At atmospheric pressure, the carbon dioxide gas escapes very slowly from the supersaturated liquid. Liquid is one of the principal States of matter. A liquid is a Fluid that has the particles loose and can freely form a distinct surface at the boundaries of This process may be accelerated by the presence of nucleation sites within the solution, such as small bubbles, caused by shaking the bottle, or another solute, such as sugar powder or a widget. Nucleation is the onset of a Phase transition in a small region A widget is a device placed in a container of beer to manage the characteristics of the beer's head. A Diet Coke and Mentos eruption is a rather extreme example. Diet Coke and Mentos Eruption (also known as a Mentos eruption or a soda geyser) is a reaction of Diet Coke and mint Mentos candies Some beverage products such as ales and stouts e. g. Guinness rely on this effect to produce the 'head' on the surface of the poured product. Guinness (ˈɡɪnɪs is a popular Dry stout that originated in Arthur Guinness ' brewery at St This has led to the invention of the widget, a device developed to produce enhanced bubble seeding in liquids, especially with dual supersaturated gas phases (carbon dioxide and nitrogen) (see patents by Fitzpatrick and Kuzniarski). A widget is a device placed in a container of beer to manage the characteristics of the beer's head.

Scuba divers' tissues become supersaturated with breathing gases during a dive. Scuba diving is swimming underwater, or taking part in another activity while using a Scuba set. Tissue is a cellular organizational level intermediate between cells and a complete organism Air is the most common and only natural breathing gas. Other artificial gases either pure gases or mixtures of gases are used in breathing equipment and enclosed habitats such If the diver ascends too fast, these gases form bubbles, resulting in decompression sickness. Decompression sickness (DCS, the diver’s disease, the bends, caisson disease is the name given to a variety of symptoms suffered by a person

In air that is supersaturated with water, water droplets may precipitate upon being disturbed. This can be observed in a cloud chamber. The cloud chamber, also known as the Wilson chamber, is used for detecting particles of Ionizing radiation. In the more general context a precipitate may form. Precipitation is the formation of a Solid in a Solution during a Chemical reaction.

Supersaturated solutions of sugar and water are commonly used to make Rock candy. Rock candy (also called rock sugar) is a type of Confectionery composed of relatively large Sugar Crystals Homemade rock candy is commonly formed

See also

• superheating
• supercooling