のに's connection to の and に?


のに is defined as a conjunctive particle which means something like "even
though" or "although"; however, I'm wondering if there's any connection this
particle has to its apparent constituents (の and に)? Moreover, is the の
considered to be nominalizing the clause that comes before it?




There is more than one usage of のに.

If you are talking about the particle のに meaning "even though", "despite",
yes, it is composed of
準体助詞「の」＋接続助詞「に」([デジタル大辞泉（小学館）](https://dictionary.goo.ne.jp/word/%E3%81%AE%E3%81%AB/)).

To answer your question whether の is a nominalizer here: It could be a
nominalizer, but in my view it doesn't have to be. 準体助詞 has varied definitions
and interpretations. Please see [this answer: How exactly are 準体助詞 and 形式名詞
different?](https://japanese.stackexchange.com/a/93346/30454).

