GEOL 102 Lecture Notes - Lecture 19: Nuclear Reactor Core, Ruby, Gemstone

• School: Queen's University
• Department: Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering
• Course: GEOL 102
• Professor: Ronald C Peterson

Document Summary

Growth patterns: the way they grow is different in nature than in laboratories: shapes of tree rings due to different pressures, temperatures, conditions. Chemical tests: complicated and expensive, but can see unusual elements in synthetic: feedstock (material that they melt to make crystals) can have unusual elements. Isotopes: can tell age: detailed chemical signature. If you heat, the color can improve: heating changes the oxidation state of the color causing element, can heat in a powder to introduce color causing element. Put cr2o3 (chromium oxide) in a container with a gemstone (clear corundum al2o3) and heat. Chromium from the powder diffuses into the gemstone and color the ruby. Ruby will be zoned, and depending on how long you leave it, it will have a rind of red/ruby and a clear core. Solid state reaction: rough ruby looks cloudy (high iron content), heating ages the stone.