Nucleating agent

Description

A foreign substance added to a saturated solution or vapor to initiate the growth of crystals. The impurity provides a location on which the crystals can form. Cloud seeding is done by using silver iodide or carbon dioxide as a nucleating agent. Nucleating agents can be added to glass to produce an extremely hard, shock-resistant, nonporous, crystalline glass.

Synonyms and Related Terms

seeding; kiemvormer (Ned.); agente nucleante (Port.)