Module 3: "Nucleation and Growth": ""
  Lecture 19: ""
 

 

First term on right hand side can be ignored in comparison to second term.

Fig.5.2: Free energy verses distance for a vapor nucleus

where,

Then the change in free energy is,

(5.5)

 

 

From this expression it can be concluded that the condensation is possible only when the vapors are at a sufficient degree of super saturation. If then condensation is not thermodynamically favorable. This expression can be expressed in more general form,