Reply to the “Comment on ‘Relation between metastable zone width and induction time of butyl paraben in ethanol’” by L.-D. Shiau, CrystEngComm, 2015, 17, DOI: 10.1039/C5CE00101C

Abstract

In my original article,¹ an interpretation equation showing the relation between metastable zone width and induction time was derived from classical nucleation theory. In the comment by Shiau,² another interpretation was put forth and the equation and results are all in good consistency with those in my original article. The parameter “critical nucleation potential” in the interpretation in my original article, derived directly from the equations of classical nucleation theory, is only dependent on the interfacial energy. The parameter “critical crystal density” in the comment by Shiau is assumed to be constant at nucleation. The accumulated “nucleation potential” and “crystal density” in both the isothermal and the polythermal experiments, respectively, reach the critical value at nucleation. The difference between these two interpretations and the deviations between the experimental metastable zone widths with the extrapolated values from induction time may result from the fact that the induction time is composed of relaxation time, nucleation time and growth time.