title: Identifying alkali metal inhibitors of crystal growth: a selection criterion based on ion pair hydration energy.
abstract: We show that alkali metals function as effective modifiers of calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) crystallization wherein alkali-oxalate ion parings reduce the rate of crystal growth by as much as 60%. Our findings reveal a distinct trend in alkali metal efficacy that cannot be explained by colloidal theories or simple descriptors, such as ion size, but is consistent with a theoretical model that accounts for the ion pair's affinity for water.
authors.affiliation: University of Houston, Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, 4800 Calhoun Rd., Houston, TX 77204, USA. jrimer@central.uh.edu.
authors.forename: Sahar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Farmanesh
authors.forename: Bryan G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Alamani
authors.forename: Jeffrey D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Rimer
mesh_terms: D002129:Calcium Oxalate / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization; D008672:Metals, Alkali / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D008672:Metals, Alkali; D002129:Calcium Oxalate