Prediction of the growth morphology of aminoacid crystals in solution: I. α-Glycine

A modified attachment energy model is developed, attempting to predict morphologies of crystals in aqueous solution, and even in the presence of adsorbing additives. Calculation of the habit of glycine ( α-form) crystals in vacuo and in pure water, by means of the GenMol software, yields successful predictions. Our model mainly justifies the occurrence of the {1 2 0} form in aqueous solution, not predicted by the classical growth morphology (BFDH or attachment energy) models.