Extension of microscopic theory of nucleation to macroscopic clusters

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Abstract
A microscopic model of homogeneous nucleation is extended to apply to macroscopic clusters. The definition used for physical clusters is identical to that of Reiss, Katz, and Cohen, which has also been introduced by Lee, Barker, and Abraham. Practical approximations have been employed to obtain results in closed form. The Gibbs free formation energy and the nucleation rate are easily calculated in this approach. The extended macroscopic treatment is compared to recent experimental data for methanol and ethanol. In these cases, the calculated nucleation rate agrees well with the experimental data. The agreement in both cases is consistent and far better than the classical theory.