Abstract
The crystallization behavior of ZrOCl 2 ·8H 2 O is studied both qualitatively and quantitatively. The solubility of this compound in pure water is higher than that in HCl solutions; reaching a minimum value at about 25% HCl. The induction period, determined visually, is believed to be caused by the growth of its critical nucleus to a detectable size and with the formation of surface nucleus as the controlling step. A relationship for the induction time and initial growth rates is given. Their dependency upon supersaturation is roughly parabolic, the edge free energy is deduced. The maximum value is found at 25% HCl solution and it correlates well with our solubility measurements.