ScienceIQ.com

Picture This

What 3 dimensional shape will pass through a rectangle, triangle and circle each time filling the whole space? The answer may surprise you in it's simplicity. Before I tell you what it is, see if you can visualize the shape using the following requirements. ...

Continue reading...

PictureThis
Astronomy

Introduction To Jupiter

With its numerous moons and several rings, the Jupiter system is a 'mini-solar system.' Jupiter is the most massive planet in our solar system, and in composition it resembles a small star. In fact, ... Continue reading

IntroductionToJupiter
Biology

Our Brains: A Wasted Resource?

Have you ever heard people say, 'Human beings use only 10 percent of their brains?' It implies that some gifted scientist has already been able to accurately calibrate the brain's maximum operational ... Continue reading

WastedBrains
Geology

A Great Sunset Takes A Few Clouds

Although the twilight sky can certainly inspire awe even when it is devoid of clouds, the most memorable sunsets tend to be those with at least a few clouds. Clouds catch the last red-orange rays of ... Continue reading

AGreatSunsetTakesAFewClouds
Biology

A Creature Only A Mother Could Love?

A creature only a mother could love isn't even much loved by its own mother. The Komodo dragon, weighing as much as 300 lbs. (136 kgs) or more, eats more than half its own weight in one meal. It ... Continue reading

MotherLove

Diamonds Improved by Irradiation?

IrradiationDiamondBesides hardness and texture, probably the most fascinating aspect of gems is their color. There are so many different and wonderful clear and foggy gems with colors that span almost the complete spectrum. Usually it's the impurities and the way they are bound to the mineral crystals that determines the color. For example, NaAl[Si2O6] crystal becomes one type of Jade when laced with chromium, an element that reflects a green part of the light spectrum and absorbs all other colors. Similarly Beryl, which is colorless in its pure mineral form, Be3Al2[Si6O18], becomes Emerald with chromium impurities.

These impurities get absorbed naturally into the crystalline structure of the mineral inside the Earth's crust. The process is stimulated by high temperatures, pressures and sometimes a little help from naturally occurring radiation sources. Clear gems such as diamond or quartz are rarely found colored. However, sometimes these clear gems already contain impurities that can be activated, i.e., the way they bond to the crystalline matrix can be changed by irradiating and heating these gems after they have been excavated.

One can produce bright yellow, blue or green diamonds by irradiating clear diamonds with a radioactive source such as Cobalt 60. Topaz, which is naturally colorless, can be transformed into a cinnamon brown. Fully transparent Quartz can be changed into prized foggy white if it contains enough aluminum impurities or into an Amethyst if it contains enough iron impurities. The problem with gem irradiation is that the final results are not predictable. The gamma radiation from the source basically rearranges the electrons and bonds between the mineral and impurities. Exactly what impurities are present and how they will be rearranged is a probability game. Vibrant colors do however increase the price of the gem significantly, hence most jewelers are willing to take this gamble. If you ever bought a colored diamond, did you ask your jeweler if the color was natural or a result of irradiation?