A study is reported of the electrochemical nucleation of silver on boron-doped diamond from aqueous solutions of silver nitrate, using a single-pulse potentiostatic technique. Data are obtained for the nucleation rate by interpretation of the deposition voltammetry, and by inspection of in situ optical microscopic images. The distribution of nearest neighbours is determined as a function of time and also the first to fifth nearest-neighbour distributions are examined at specific times. The distribution of nucleus areas is found and a simple stochastic model of nucleation and growth developed in order to understand qualitatively the nearest neighbour and nucleus area results. (C) 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.