Muons, protons and heavy ions in the quantitative elucidation of the properties of diamond

Conference · Wed Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5597284

Sellschop, J P.F.

In studying the physical and geochemical properties of diamond, data on both elemental composition and defect structures is required. While instrumental neutron activation analysis is an essential component of this formidable analytical task, it is incapable of providing essential data on the lightest elements. This is accessible quantitatively by the use of accelerator-produced beams of protons, helium-3, helium-4 and fluorine-19 (or nitrogen-15). The picture that emerges is that all pure diamond is - in elemental terms - characterized by no fewer than 58 impurities, of which 53 of these elements have been determined by nuclear methods, and 34 of them have been determined only by nuclear methods. If quantitative analytical data is obtained, as it should be, then a number of deductions can be made about the chemistry of the elemental impurities - such a trace element chemistry (at the ppb to ppm level exclamation) is found to exist, which brings into focus the question of the mode of physical occurrence of these characteristic chemical impurities. Since they are not visible and appear to be fairly homogeneously distributed, a reasonable picture is to describe all diamonds (even those of the purest gem quality) as containing sub-microscopic inclusions of the parental magma in and from which the diamond crystallized.

• Research Organization: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
• OSTI ID: 5597284
• Report Number(s): CONF-801111-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci.; (United States) Journal Volume: NS-28:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
400103* -- Radiometric & Radiochemical Procedures-- (-1987)
ACCELERATORS
ANGULAR CORRELATION
BEAMS
BETA DECAY RADIOISOTOPES
CARBON
CHANNELING
CHARGED PARTICLES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
CHEMISTRY
CORRELATIONS
CRYSTALS
DAYS LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
DIAMONDS
ELECTRON CAPTURE RADIOISOTOPES
ELEMENTAL MINERALS
ELEMENTS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUORINE 19
FLUORINE ISOTOPES
FOURIER ANALYSIS
GEOCHEMISTRY
HEAVY IONS
HELIUM 3
HELIUM 4
HELIUM ISOTOPES
IMPURITIES
INDIUM 111
INDIUM ISOTOPES
INTERMEDIATE MASS NUCLEI
ION BEAMS
ION CHANNELING
ION IMPLANTATION
ION PROBES
IONS
ISOMERIC TRANSITION ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LEPTON BEAMS
LIGHT NUCLEI
MINERALS
MINUTES LIVING RADIOISOTOPES
MUON BEAMS
MUON PROBES
NITROGEN 15
NITROGEN ISOTOPES
NONMETALS
NUCLEI
NUCLEON BEAMS
ODD-EVEN NUCLEI
PARTICLE BEAMS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROBES
PROTON BEAMS
PROTON PROBES
QUANTITATIVE CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
RADIOISOTOPES
STABLE ISOTOPES