Asymmetric Crystal Growth of α‐Resorcinol from the Vapor Phase: Surface Reconstruction and Conformational Change Are the Culprits

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.