The Gel Growth Technique
- Author(s)
- Dominik Talla, Andreas Wagner
- Abstract
The technique of crystal growth in gels has nowadays become somewhat neglected in the scope of earth sciences, to the disadvantage of the experimental mineralogist. Even preparing an inorganic silica gel can prove a challenge to many, let alone successfully configure the entire experiment. Based not only on previous literature but also on our extensive experience, crystals of
many substances, including supergene minerals as reference standards, can be successfully grown in gel, aiding in accomplishing various research goals in earth sciences. Instead of providing the reader with an overwhelming compendium of historical information and theoretical knowledge of
the subject which can be found elsewhere, we presented herein a comprehensive, practically oriented guide to the understanding and successful use of the technique of crystal growth in gels, mentioning, in addition to the general principle, the numerous pitfalls which we encountered during our own
use of the method, and the ways to overcome them. Despite that the procedure is nowadays used mainly for the laboratory synthesis of organic or metal-organic compounds, we believe it to be a valuable asset to any mineralogist, and often, the only way to obtain inorganic reference material of a particular mineral of interest.- Organisation(s)
- Department of Mineralogy and Crystallography
- External organisation(s)
- Masaryk University
- Journal
- Minerals
- Volume
- 12
- No. of pages
- 22
- ISSN
- 2075-163X
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/min12050645
- Publication date
- 05-2022
- Peer reviewed
- Yes
- Austrian Fields of Science 2012
- 105116 Mineralogy, 104011 Materials chemistry, 105113 Crystallography
- Keywords
- ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Geology, Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology
- Portal url
- https://ucrisportal.univie.ac.at/en/publications/8e67d21a-dbea-4330-aa27-0eaee230a601