1:45 PM - 3:15 PM
[O07-P05] Consideration of method to increase artificial ruby
Keywords:ruby, flux method
Gemstones have always fascinated many people. There are only a small number of gemstones produced by the movement of the earth's interior, compared to the large demand. For this reason, the technology to produce gems by hand has developed.
Rubies are one of the gems for which there is an artificial process. Today, they are used not only as gemstones but also as abrasives.
There have been many previous studies on the generation of artificial rubies by the flux method, but most of them were done using platinum crucibles. The platinum crucible is expensive, so there are many obstacles to using it for research by high school students.
So, in this study, we focused on the generation and enlargement of artificial rubies without using a platinum crucible by the flux method. Instead of platinum crucibles, we used alumina crucibles
This research is a continuation of the research done at our school last year. In contrast to last year's research, which focused on the relationship between crystal size and temperature changes during crystal formation (heating, holding, and cooling temperatures, etc.), this research focused on two new aspects to increase crystal size: enlargement by condensation nuclei and enlargement by changes in evaporation inhibitors.
The flow of the experiment is as described below. Aluminum oxide, molybdenum oxide, sodium carbonate, lithium carbonate, and chromium oxide were weighed, placed in an alumina crucible, stirred so that each material was evenly distributed, and heated in an electric furnace. After heating, we scraped out the crystals that had formed in a way that they adhered to the inner wall of the crucible, and measured their size using a microscope and a micrometer. The color of the crystals was also recorded in photographs.
We experimented with varying the aforementioned materials. Specifically, we varied the evaporation inhibitor by 0 and 2 times, and added gypsum, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, and lithium sulfate, respectively.
As a result of repeated experiments, it was found that gypsum was involved in the enlargement of crystals, that sulfate may be involved in the enlargement of crystals because it was the only substance other than gypsum that produced crystals when mixed with potassium sulfate, and that there is a correlation between the evaporation inhibitor and the enlargement of crystals, and that the optimal amount of evaporation inhibitor is between 0 and 2 times.
Rubies are one of the gems for which there is an artificial process. Today, they are used not only as gemstones but also as abrasives.
There have been many previous studies on the generation of artificial rubies by the flux method, but most of them were done using platinum crucibles. The platinum crucible is expensive, so there are many obstacles to using it for research by high school students.
So, in this study, we focused on the generation and enlargement of artificial rubies without using a platinum crucible by the flux method. Instead of platinum crucibles, we used alumina crucibles
This research is a continuation of the research done at our school last year. In contrast to last year's research, which focused on the relationship between crystal size and temperature changes during crystal formation (heating, holding, and cooling temperatures, etc.), this research focused on two new aspects to increase crystal size: enlargement by condensation nuclei and enlargement by changes in evaporation inhibitors.
The flow of the experiment is as described below. Aluminum oxide, molybdenum oxide, sodium carbonate, lithium carbonate, and chromium oxide were weighed, placed in an alumina crucible, stirred so that each material was evenly distributed, and heated in an electric furnace. After heating, we scraped out the crystals that had formed in a way that they adhered to the inner wall of the crucible, and measured their size using a microscope and a micrometer. The color of the crystals was also recorded in photographs.
We experimented with varying the aforementioned materials. Specifically, we varied the evaporation inhibitor by 0 and 2 times, and added gypsum, calcium oxide, calcium hydroxide, and lithium sulfate, respectively.
As a result of repeated experiments, it was found that gypsum was involved in the enlargement of crystals, that sulfate may be involved in the enlargement of crystals because it was the only substance other than gypsum that produced crystals when mixed with potassium sulfate, and that there is a correlation between the evaporation inhibitor and the enlargement of crystals, and that the optimal amount of evaporation inhibitor is between 0 and 2 times.