ESC 2200C Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Skutterudite, De Re Metallica, Transmission Electron Microscopy
30 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Minerals are interesting earth materials that surround us. Around 50-100 new minerals are discovered annually. Mineral names have a variety of origins: words from other languages: Color- olivine is olive green: places: Scientific study of minerals started in the 16th century: 1556- georgius agricola, a german physician. Published de re metallica (on the nature of metals) 1828- minerals first studied under a microscope. 1912- max van laue proposed x-ray study of minerals. 1915- william henry and william lawrence bragg. The father and son team won the nobel prize. Revealed the structure of minerals using x-rays. Minerals are now studied using high tech instruments: probe the atomic structure of minerals, electron microscopes and microprobes, x-ray diffractometers- the same principle as in 1915. Minerals are the building blocks of the planet: minerals make up all of the rocks and sediments on earth, understanding earth required understanding minerals.
