Application of thermal analysis to mineral synthesis

Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and thermogravimetry (TG) are applied to various fields of mineral science. The present work illustrates the importance of the application of thermal analysis to mineral synthesis, to the determination of the mechanism and optimum temperature of synthesis and the thermal behaviour of minerals and starting materials. Selected examples of applications in this field are given. These include DTA studies of the synthesis of topaz, cryptohalite, wulfenite, perovskite, scheelite and the refractory materials, baddeleyite and corundum.