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International
Tables for Crystallography Volume D Physical properties of crystals Edited by A. Authier © International Union of Crystallography 2006 |
International Tables for Crystallography (2006). Vol. D. ch. 1.6, p. 155
Section 1.6.4.2. Specimen preparation
a
Department of Physics, University of Oxford, Parks Roads, Oxford OX1 3PU, England, and bDepartment of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Parks Roads, Oxford OX1 3PR, England |
Specimens for examination with the polarizing microscope are usually of two different sorts: collections of small crystals or grains (and individual crystals), and thin sections cut from larger solid samples. In the first category, the material is often crushed to a fine sand, scattered on a microscope slide, a drop of immersion oil is applied, and a cover slip is placed on top. For special applications, an individual crystal may, for example, be mounted on the end of a glass fibre, and similarly examined under immersion oil. The thin-section technique is more widely used in petrology. Here a rock sample is cut into a section of standard thickness (0.03 mm) and mounted on a glass slide, using a resinous mounting material, formerly Canada Balsam but now synthetic. Small single crystals can also be used by mounting them on a spindle stage, or similar device, which allows one to orient the crystal in the microscope.
