[‚hed·ə·rə¦jē·nē·əs ‚nü·klē′ā·shən] (physical chemistry) The formation of vapor bubbles on cavities or scratches of a surface bounding a superheated liquid.
heterogeneous nucleation
het·er·o·ge·ne·ous nu·cle·a·tion
nucleation about a nidus composed of material other than that precipitating.