Influence of the degree of dispersion of a crystalline solid on its melting point

Abstract

In my report on April 6, 1906, I wrote that the most important role in the process of melting dispersed systems is played by two factors: the degree of disruption of the continuity of the body and the associated change in the conditions of heat transfer, both before the melting process and during this process The degree of discontinuity affects, firstly, the latent heat of fusion, and secondly, together with the changed conditions of heat transfer, the softening of the solid system even before the start of melting. The surface layer of the crystal is chemically inhomogeneous, which affects the physical and physicochemical properties of the substance especially strongly at a high degree of dispersion.