Nucleation of copper vapor during gas expansion in a supersonic nozzle is investigated. Time scales for nucleation delay and supersaturation doubling are considered in establishing the need for non-steady state nucleation theory. A population balance model is constructed for tracking the size spectrum of stable clusters formed from self nucleation and exposed to supersaturated gas. It is found that at average cooling rates exceeding 10{sup 7} K/s, copper vapor exists in a highly nonequilibrium concentration at the nozzle exit. Copper condensation is severely limited by the nucleation kinetics and the available residence time. It is influenced by the monomer concentration and the nozzle exit pressure and temperature. The size spectrum of stable clusters is dominated by small clusters containing fewer than fifteen molecules. Nucleation persists throughout the expansion process because of the inability of the vapor condensation processes to relieve supersaturation buildup due to rapid gas cooling. Nucleation rate is sensitive to the surface energy of the clusters corresponding to the critical size. Monte-Carlo simulations of admissible cluster configurations are recommended for determining statistically-averaged surface energies of clusters containing two-to-twenty molecules. 7 refs., 10 figs., 6 tabs.