The Kinetics of Phase Transitions in Binary Systems

A kinetic theory of phase transitions in two-component systems is presented which is applicable to the transitions, vapor to liquid and liquid to liquid. The rate of the transition is characterized by a two-dimensional vector which can be used in conjunction with the equation of continuity to develop a partial differential equation which determines the kinetics of the process. A new type of energy surface is introduced, and an investigation of its salient features enables one to simplify the solution of the differential equation mentioned above. This purely kinetic treatment makes possible the evaluation of the unknown coefficient found in the older quasi thermodynamic treatment of transition rates in two component systems.