xfusion44
Hazard to Others
Posts: 223
Registered: 6-8-2014
Location: Europe
Member Is Offline
Mood: Nostalgic
|
|
Ore identification
Hi!
I've got a small bottle of unknown ore from an old physics set (you know, like the one of those sets they've used to teach physics in school). First
thing I've tried was the "magnet test" and it partially was magnetic. Then I've tried to melt it with the butane torch, but it just started to glow,
like normal iron would. And when I removed the flame, it was smoking a bit - probably some other compound with lower melting point. However, after
that I've tried with magnet again, but just on the piece that was heated before - and it wasn't magnetic! So, it's probably some other metal, with
some iron or other magnetic metal impurities. I didn't yet measured its density, but it's pretty heavy. How does it look like? Well, see for yourself,
on the picture, below...
Thanks 
|
|
|
xfusion44
Hazard to Others
Posts: 223
Registered: 6-8-2014
Location: Europe
Member Is Offline
Mood: Nostalgic
|
|
Could it be cadmium ore?
Edit: no, too low melting point...
[Edited on 21-2-2016 by xfusion44]
|
|
|
diddi
National Hazard
Posts: 723
Registered: 23-9-2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Fluorescent
|
|
it has galena and quartz for sure, but there may be other material. the pics are not good enough to tell.
galena is a Pb ore btw, so maybe don't go sniffing those fumes 
[Edited on 21-2-2016 by diddi]
Beginning construction of periodic table display
|
|
|
xfusion44
Hazard to Others
Posts: 223
Registered: 6-8-2014
Location: Europe
Member Is Offline
Mood: Nostalgic
|
|
Quote: Originally posted by diddi  | it has galena and quartz for sure, but there may be other material. the pics are not good enough to tell.
galena is a Pb ore btw, so maybe don't go sniffing those fumes
[Edited on 21-2-2016 by diddi] |
Oh, thanks for that. BTW, did you click on the picture to make it larger? Also, after you do that, you can also zoom in by clicking on it again or
scrolling up, whilst holding ctrl button. If that's not good enough, I could try to make another shot.
Best regards!
[Edited on 21-2-2016 by xfusion44]
|
|
|
diddi
National Hazard
Posts: 723
Registered: 23-9-2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Fluorescent
|
|
in mineral ID one needs to be able to handle the piece and use a magnifier (10X or more) crystals may be small and there are often mixtures. from
your photo there is some good galena crystals, but a lot of the grey material looks different, but I can't tell for sure. the specimen looks likes it
comes from Bulgaria? if that is the case I can summise about the other possible minerals present.
Beginning construction of periodic table display
|
|
|
xfusion44
Hazard to Others
Posts: 223
Registered: 6-8-2014
Location: Europe
Member Is Offline
Mood: Nostalgic
|
|
| Quote: Originally posted by diddi | in mineral ID one needs to be able to handle the piece and use a magnifier (10X or more) crystals may be small and there are often mixtures. from
your photo there is some good galena crystals, but a lot of the grey material looks different, but I can't tell for sure. the specimen looks likes it
comes from Bulgaria? if that is the case I can summise about the other possible minerals present.
|
Oh, looks like you know what you're talking about I don't know where exactly it
comes from, but it's almost definitely from Europe, somewhere... Interesting to see the compound with very metallic appearance. I was almost sure it
was metal. So, since it's mostly galena, what could I use it for? I see it was used for IR sensors, but are there some other interesting uses for it?
Thanks
Best regards!
|
|
|
crystal grower
Hazard to Others
Posts: 474
Registered: 3-1-2016
Location: Os Petrosum
Member Is Offline
Mood: Puzzled
|
|
Maybe this should be in " Name that rock topic."
http://www.sciencemadness.org/talk/viewthread.php?tid=28664
|
|
|
Sulaiman
International Hazard
Posts: 3569
Registered: 8-2-2015
Location: 3rd rock from the sun
Member Is Offline
|
|
Galena is one of the original materials for making a 'cats whisker' detector for rectification of am rf signals to audio ...
You could make a "crystal set" ... quite a fun weekend project
|
|
|
diddi
National Hazard
Posts: 723
Registered: 23-9-2014
Location: Victoria, Australia
Member Is Offline
Mood: Fluorescent
|
|
Galena is PbS. it was smelted in ancient times by placing in a fire and collecting the lead from the ash. not many uses apart from Pb production
that I know of. the crystals are nice, and easy to cleave to expose a clean set of surfaces. if stored dry it will retain its silver shine.
and yes there is a thread on rocks and minerals (and things along the railway line). and also another on rock "molesting" you may search for also
Beginning construction of periodic table display
|
|
|
xfusion44
Hazard to Others
Posts: 223
Registered: 6-8-2014
Location: Europe
Member Is Offline
Mood: Nostalgic
|
|
Ok, thank you all!
|
|
|
![[*]](images/xpblue/default_icon.gif){kind=icon}
