top of page
groensteenfreterke

Calcite, two step actiavtion of Mn via Ce




Calcite skalenohedron, Beez, Namur, Belgium. This a special crystal. Instead of the usual organic yellow fluorescence, it shows an orange Mn2+ fluorescence under 365 nm excitation (black solid line). The orange fluorescence is enhanced via a two step mechanism, in this case Ce3+ (instead of Pb2+). We can see this clearly at 275 nm excitation. The intense purple fluorescence is caused by Ce3+ (black dashed line). It is this Ce that transfers its energy from the excited level to the Mn2+, intensifying that fluorescence. Excitation at 255 nm shows a more yellowish colour, caused by the simltaneous presence of multiple bands (grey dotted line).

The crystal is also interesting because it shows a twin line, but it is not a twin. On the visual foto you can see than an oblique angle at the top part has an obtuse counter part in the lower part. This is typical for a single crystal skalenohedron. We assume there is an (invisible) microtwin in the centers that annihilates the twinning effect in the major parts.

149 views

Recent Posts

See All
bottom of page