CHAPTER 1 - The Composition of Rock Material

Abstract

This chapter discusses the composition and analysis of rock materials. The ability to undertake a good analysis depends upon the skill of the analyst in making separations and in completing his determinations gravimetrically or titrimetrically, although for manganese, a visual comparison of colors provided an early example of the use of colorimetric method. Some effort by a number of analysts is devoted in devising new schemes of rock analysis based upon spectrophotometric methods with complexometric titration for the determination of calcium and magnesium. The extensive introduction of spectrophotometric methods to silicate rock analysis has been followed by the use of other instrumental methods. Emission (optical) spectrography became a valuable additional technique in many rock analysis laboratories. The recent introductions to the rock analysis laboratory include β-probe analysis, X-ray fluorescence, inductively coupled plasma emission, direct reading emission, atomic absorption, and atomic fluorescence spectroscopy. The difficulties inherent in collecting and determining all the silica by the classical method can be avoided by using a combined gravimetric and photometric method.