Crystal Power CeLL by John Hutchison

[Koen1]

@Jeanna: Thanks for that nice look into your thought process there
I like it. I'm not sure what to make of the pyramid particles entirely,
but it still sounds interesting, and it's definately got some elements
in the equation that I hadn't incorporated in my own ideas about
the use of magnetic powders, so that's a refreshing take on the subject.
In my opinion.

As for the pigment, Yes, you should be able to get Cobalt Blue pigment powder
at a good arts supply shop. I have found that such shops, if you find one that
really has a wide range of pigments for use in self-mixed paint, and/or similarly
a wide range of powders suitable for use in ceramics glazing and lustering,
often have a nice supply of usefull powders and do sell them in relatively small
amounts, which is just perfect for doing some experiments.
I may have mentioned it before, one of my favorite art supply shops carries a
nice range of painters pigments, and it is in fact the place where I got my
Cobalt Blue powder, as well as my Iron Black, Iron Red/brown, and some other
powders. Ok, I also got some of those same powders from other suppliers, but
the ones I got from the arts shop are of equally good quality.

@Sutra: Can you tell me the exact name of the type of blue-green Tourmaline
that you used here? For example, typically the all-green type of Tourmaline is
called Chromdravite, while the all-black type is called Schorl, and there's
quite a bunch of specific types...
I ask because I am currently, on a bit of a sideline which is slowly turning into
a parallel road , still looking into Tourmaline itself, and specifically the chemical
structures of the various types. I have sort of isolated the part of the chemical
strcture that determines much of the colour as well as the wavelengths to which
the specific Tourmalines are sensitive, so now I am studying the differences in these
crucial elements of the structure, in an attempt to determine which exact type
or subtype yields highest output in a nominally average temperature range.

There's some quite interesting analogies with biological photosynthesis, I realised
the other day, when I was trying to explain part of my Tourmaline fascination
to a friend, who is involved in biology and ecology.
The majority of plant photosynthesis on our planet uses green pigments (chlorophyl)
to absorb light energy, which is then used in an intricate chemically mediated
process which ultimately uses the energy to produce glucose from H2O and CO2.
A fact often underplayed in schools is that most of the light absorbed is in fact
red light, which incorporates best into the actual chemical photosynthetic
process, and that the other types of light are in fact in most plants "stepped down"
to the equivalent of, or even the exact type of, the ideal red light wavelength for
absorption by these red-light "transformer" molecules.
Ok, I realise this may sound like a bunch of biological mumbojumbo, but the
main point is: the green plants all around us actually get most of their energy
from absorbing red light.
Now back to Tourmaline.
Guess which colour of Tourmaline is generally considered (and tested) as the
most sensitive to red, infrared, and even deep-infrared light?
Yep, you guessed it: green.
So perhaps now you see why I am interested in the exact chemical structure or
name of your blue-green Tourmaline? I am trying to figure out where in the spectrum
of light its ideal absorption wavelengths lie, to see how sensitive it is to infrared
in comparison to certain other types.

[sutra]

@ Koen1

Hi, tourmalines are the minerals that varies the most as concerning clour: from colorless (Acroite) to the Schorl, as you know.

from the point of view of light absorbtion wave lenght, of course a green mineral absorbs all the wavelenght except the green one and so on. So under that point of view, it all depends on what wavelength you want to absorb, to chose the right colour tourmaline.

The green variety is called VERDELITE and it contains bivalent iron and a bit of magnesium if yellowish, the blue ones are called INDICOLITES and the light blue from mainly Brasil is called PARAIBA (one of the most valuable) the blue ones contains Iron, Vanadium, and trivalent Chromium.
Verdelites and Indicolites are mined mostly in Namibia (where I lived for 4 years) but many of them are mined also in Nigeria, together with all the other colours.

I'm using some old mine reject from Namibia usable usually for tumbling grinding them at 600 mesh grit on diamond lap.

The specific one I've used for this last cell was Blue-Green but for next trials I want to experiment different mixes of rochelle salt with only one component at the time to understand the direct effects of each single ingredient: the variables are too many, the components are too many for a good experimenting.

Hoping to be useful....

Ciao

P.S. I heard that also Topaz is piezoelectric, perhaps I could try some into the mix.

[Koen1]

Sutra, thanks for that info.

It is interesting that you mention the Verdelite (sometimes called Verdilite) as typical green form.
Indeed, the most common green form of Tourmaline is Verdelite, nowadays.
But perhaps I wan't entirely clear...
I intend, of course, to make a Tourmaline that is extremely sensitive to ambient heat.
What with the global tempertures only increasing, and the largest part of our global
energy loss existing in the form of radiated heat losses, that seems like a large
energy supply just waiting to be tapped. Much more so than any of the visible colours
of light.
And so, I am trying to pinpoint the types that most effectively absorb and transduce
infrared and preferably the deep infrared. (= heat radiation)
I have found that it is difficult to dig up clear information on the exact wavelengths and
the chemical compositions, for some reason. If you have any good sources for this,
please share them as it would be most helpfull.
What I have managed to dig up is the repeated assertion that blue and green Tourmalines
are the types most sensitive to infrared, and I have been told that specifically Chromdravite
would be extremely sensitive to deep infrared. Chromdravite is also green, and the crucial
element in it is trivalent Chromium. (And yes, this is interesting, as ruby is nothing more
than aluminium oxide containing high levels of Chromium, and they are typically not green
at all, but rather red. Then again, Tourmaline does not normally contain much aluminium
at all, if any, so they're not really comparable.)
Some people have suggested that Vanadiumdravite may also be green and may also
be sensitive to infrared, but I cannot find much confirmation.

Now, some quick thinking suggests that Verdelite is in fact nothing more than a "hybrid"
of Chromdravite, Vanadiumdravite, and Schorl, containing near equal amounts of these
three trivalent elements Cromium, Vanadium, and Iron.
Do you agree with this assertion?

P.S. You lived in Namibia? I've done a 4x4 road trip through Nam some years ago!
It's a magnificent country. May I ask where you lived in Namibia? Was it near
Swakopmund, Walvisbaai, Windhoek, Luderitz?

[sutra]

@ Koen1

Tourmalines are complex Aluminum Boro-Silicates in which can coexist or replace each other Sodium, Lithium, Potassium, Cesium, bivalent Iron, Magnesium, Calcium, Manganese, Aluminum, trivalent Iron, Chromium and Vanadium. All these components contributes to the different colours of the gem. There may be some OH ions that could be replaced by Floride, sometimes Titanium replace Silicium in the structure.
As you understand, all different kinds of tourmalines are, as you suggested, Hybrids of a very complex crystal species.

A crystal can have different colours : see "melon d'eau" Tourmalines or show very different tinges of colour observing them from different growth axis.

Heating the crystal can modfy the colouring, I'm used to lighten up the dark verdelites exposing the stones at temperatures within 450 and 650 °C.

It looks there are some study done on pyroelectricity but most of the stuff is on sale.
As for a research, you can see these:
http://scripts.iucr.org/cgi-bin/paper?S0021889879011869
http://www.geol.lsu.edu/henry/Research/tourmaline/bibliography/TourmalinePhysicalProperties.htm

As concerning Namibia,
Yes, is a wonderful country and I missed it a lot.
from 1998 to 2001 I had a restaurant in Windhoek called "PLANET ITALY" so, if you were around at that time, probably you eat my pizza.....

Cheers

[jeanna]

Hmm biology, now I feel more comfortable!   

I dredged up my oldest biology textbook to prove to me that my memory is correct (yes, this time it is) that it is the Mg in the chlorophyll molecule that makes it do what it does.

So, I submit that those green tourmalines that are made with magnesium are perhaps the very ones to choose.

[the rest of the molecules that make up the family of chlorophylls are basically C,H,O, in various large chains.]

The other thing my eyes fell on while reading this was the mention that the blue-green algae make their energy from chlorophylls that are NOT contained in the chloroplast but in small things that they called stoma =?= little stones.

This means to me that it is not dependent on the structure and can occur in a mix. This gives encouragement if not credence to the notion of making an amorphous mixture of this stuff.

[I say this because I have seen that there is an assumption put out over and over that it is because of the cellular structure and the chloroplast structure that the energy is made.]

thank you,

jeanna