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The presence of dissolved organic compounds is known to have a profound impact upon the dissolution and growth of minerals[I], and the controlled nucleation of minerals at organic membrane surfaces is suspected to be an important feature of the formation of the exoskeletons of many invertebrate species[2]. Consequently, a fundamental understanding of the organic-mineral interface is of wide interest to many fields. Yet there are relatively few experimental tools which are capable of following the in situ formation and growth of organic films at the mineral-fluid interface. Here we describe some recent results obtained using X-ray scattering techniques to measure a well-defined model system: the adsorption of stearic acid monolayers at a calcite surface.