Crystals of the aromatic hydrocarbon fluoranthene have been grown from supercooled solutions, employing five chlorinated hydrocarbons as solvents, on spontaneously formed seeds under conditions of constant temperature growth. Total impurity content in the material used for growth determined by GC-FID and GC-MS methods was less than or equal to 10(-3) mass%. All the crystals grown possessed only columnar habit exhibiting simultaneously significant differences in the growth forms, mainly according to the solvent. The largest crystals of 50 x 12 x 5 mm(3) dimensions, exhibiting six forms. were grown from the nearest to ideal solution in trichloroethylene. Based on the measured solubility data, the activity coefficient and the dissolution enthalpy of fluoranthene were evaluated at the growth temperature of the crystals and used to interpret an observed solvent effect on their morphology and structural quality. Finally, the perfection of the crystals was examined using X-ray topography and the main growth-induced defects were identified as inclusions. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.