Asymmetric crystal growth of alpha-resorcinol from the vapor phase : surface reconstruction and conformational change are the culprits

Anwar, Jamshed and Chatchawalsaisin, Jittima and Kendrick, John (2007) Asymmetric crystal growth of alpha-resorcinol from the vapor phase : surface reconstruction and conformational change are the culprits. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 46 (29). pp. 5537-5540. ISSN 1433-7851

Abstract

Differential growth: The growth of crystals of α-resorcinol (see picture; C gray, H white, O red) from the vapor phase is asymmetric along the polar axis. By means of molecular-dynamics simulations, the slower growth at the (011) polar surface is traced back to conformational change of the molecule and to surface reconstruction, which may be a general phenomenon in polar crystals.