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A Laboratory Manual for X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Heat treatments at various temperatures are commonly used to help identify clay minerals by revealing changes in crystal structure spacings or loss of the structure. Depending on the temperature and the mineral species, these treatments can collapse the structure by dehydration, or in the case of other minerals destroy the crystal structures. However, it is important for the analyst to remember that some of the changes caused by the heat treatments may be temporary, and that partial or complete rehydration may occur during cooling.
| HEAT TREATMENT | |
Materials Required:
Preheat the oven to 400 C. |
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| Place the oriented aggregate mount in the furnace using the tongs. Leave sample in the furnace not less than one half hour at 400 C. |  |
| Remove mount by pulling it forward with the wire hook until the edge of the mount can be grasped with the tongs. Do not remove mounts until they are ready to be run on the diffractometer. |  |
| X-ray the sample and repeat the above procedure at 550 C. | |
