We begin our investigation by studying the impact of the three additives on the dissolution rate of C 3 S at a water-to-solid ratio of 10 000 using ICP-OES analysis of the pore solution. The large dilution ensures that the solution remains undersaturated with regard to the hydrate phases. Thus, the additives solely act on the dissolution of the clinker phases without any interference from the nucleation and crystal growth of the hydrate phases. In the second step, the nucleation of portlandite and C-S-H from a homogeneous solution in the presence of citric acid, tartaric acid, and succinic acid is investigated . This method ensures that the additives' influence is solely on the nucleation and crystal growth of the hydrate phases, without any interference from the dissolution of the clinker phases.