Diorite

“ Hornblende, which we have observed to be an important and rather constant constituent of diorite and syenite, is much less abundant in norite; but its place is taken by augite and the allied minerals, hypersthene and enstatite. Black mica is common in norite; but white mica, orthoclase, and quartz rarely occur.
Norite is the most basic of all the feldspathic rocks, as gneiss is the most acidic; while syenite and diorite stand as connecting links, forming a gradual passage between the two extremes. ”

“ Fig. 18.—Diorite of Gebel Allawi [10,313] , × 10. pl, plagioclase felspar, clouded by decomposition products; h, hornblende, olive-brown in colour; ha, hornblende altering to pale-green chlorite; m, magnetite.
Diorite in the narrowest sense of the term (plagioclase-hornblende rock) is not by any means abundant. Curiously enough, it is generally found in the neighbourhood of old gold mines, as for instance in the Kurdeman and Allawi districts, and it was employed by the ancient miners for their crushing pans. ”

“ There are, as usual, grains of magnetite, and a number of microliths, sometimes acicular, sometimes rather irregular in form, which are commonly included in the larger hornblende crystals, lying with their longer axes in the planes of principal cleavage. I have not been able to satisfy myself as to the nature of these. At present we must call the rock a diorite ”

“ In consequence of their more basic composition, diabase and diorite are usually strongly contrasted with granite and syenite in color and specific gravity, being darker and heavier. The basic rocks, too, decay much more readily than the acidic. ”

“ It occurs, however, in conjunction with gold and silver, copper, bronze, and traces of iron, but no tin. [614] The people were, like most barbarians, very expert metallurgists; and if Dr. Schliemann’s diorite be true diorite, [615] they must have worked with highly-tempered tools. Copper, either pure or slightly alloyed, was the most common metal: we read of a key, a large double-edged axe, a vase-foot, nails, clothes-pins (ἔμβολα) , a curious instrument like a horse’s bit (p. 261) ”

“ Similar species of rocks are found in Kordofàn, viz., granite, gneiss, and mica-slate. However, diorite makes its appearance towards the south, consisting of white feldspar, green and black hornblende, and a little volcanic sand. On the island of Tira there is also chlorite slate. ”

“ The diorites are abundant as sheets and dykes amongst the older palæozoic and metamorphic rocks, and are sometimes exceedingly rich in magnetite. Mica, epidote, and chlorite are also present as accessories.
The rock occurs in North Wales, Charnwood Forest, Wicklow, Galway, and Donegal, and the Highlands of Scotland. There can be little doubt that amongst the metamorphic rocks of Galway, Mayo, and Donegal the great beds of (often columnar) diorite were originally augitic lavas, which have since undergone transformation. ”

“ On the summit of the hill diorite lies on the eastern side of the veins. Down the southern slope the veins lie wholly in metamorphic rocks; the foot wall being more silicious, the hanging argillaceous. The mineralized portion has a width of 20 feet. A small vein occurs in the upper side, and a heavier one, sometimes reaching 3 feet, on the foot wall. There are occasional stringers in the crushed portions between. The gangue is calcite, with some quartz, all mixed with the broken clayey slates. More zinc-blende and iron pyrites are found here, also a little antimony. ”

“ If the zÂrolite of Juvenas contain separable crystals of augite and labradorite, the numerical relation of the constituents p 132 render it at least probable that the meteoric masses of Chateau-Renard may be a compound of diorite, consisting of hornblende and albite, and those of Blansko and Chantonnay compounds of hornblende and labradorite. ”

“ Sometimes the pyroxenic mineral becomes hypersthene, giving rise to hypersthene-gabbro; or when hornblende is present, to hornblende-gabbro; when olivine, to olivine-gabbro. Magnetite is always present.
These rocks occur in the Carlingford district in Ireland, in the Lizard district of Cornwall, the Inner Hebrides (Mull, Skye, etc.) of Scotland, and in Saxony.
3. Diorite.—A crystalline-granular compound of plagioclase and hornblende with magnetite. When quartz is present it becomes (according to the usual British acceptation) a syenite ”

“ Titanite is by no means rare, and occurs in well formed twin crystals.
Diorites of Atherstone and Nuneaton.—A careful examination of many specimens collected by the writer from the various masses marked in the map 63 S.W. of the Geological Survey shows clearly that they are diorites, the characteristic constituents being hornblende and a triclinic felspar; these minerals, together with magnetite and apatite are invariably present, and in addition, a little orthoclase is seldom absent. The best speci [257] men examined is from a quarry near Marston Jabet ”

“ Deuterons and Nuclear Fusion
The "deuteron" is a particle that consists of just one proton and one neutron locked together by the strong nuclear force. It is typically found associated with an electron, and together they qualify as a member of the set of hydrogen atoms. On Earth about one hydrogen atom out of every 6500 is deuterium-hydrogen, with a deuteron as its nucleus. (Deuterium is sometimes called "heavy hydrogen," since a deuteron has twice the mass of the more-common hydrogen nucleus, and thus water made from pure deuterium is known as "heavy water.") ”

“ The radiant activity of a substance can be measured by placing it upon the lower plate of a condenser formed of two horizontal plates, and measuring the conductivity communicated to the air between the plates. If this measurement be made with oxide of thorium, it is found that the conductivity of the air is greatly decreased when a current of air is sent between the plates. The oxide of thorium emits, indeed, an emanation that accumulates upon the substance and by its radiation helps to ionize the air between the plates. ”

“ The lead which is present in uranium and thorium minerals—apparently in fairly definite ratio to the amount of uranium and thorium—is found, on separation and purification, to possess radio-active properties. This activity is due to the presence of a very small proportion of an active constituent called radio-lead, which has chemical properties identical with those of ordinary lead. The bulk of the lead obtained from radio-active minerals differs in atomic weight from ordinary lead and appears also to be different according to whether its source is a thorium or a uranium mineral. ”

“ He says, that when a circuit of electricity is completed in water by means of two surfaces of tellurium, oxygen is given off at the positive surface, and instead of hydrogen at the negative surface, a brown powder is formed and separated, which he regards as a hydruret of tellurium; and he conceives that the reason why that metal prevents the metallization of potash is, that it has a stronger attraction for hydrogen than that possessed by the alkali. ”

“ The transparency of the elementary gases and metalloids — of oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, chlorine, iodine, bromine, sulphur, phosphorus, and even of carbon, for the invisible heat rays is extraordinary. Dissolved in a proper vehicle, iodine cuts the visible radiation sharply off, but allows the invisible free transmission. By dissolving iodine in sulphur, Professor Dewar has recently added to the number of our effectual ray-filters. The mixture may be made as black as pitch for the visible, while remaining transparent for the invisible rays. ”

“ It is a hard, dark-grey solid, and is a very good conductor of electricity. When heated in oxygen or nitrogen, it reacts readily, forming the oxide and nitride respectively; halogens attack it at quite low temperatures (250°-400°) , forming the halide compounds, which are indeed best prepared in this way. Strong mineral acids, with the exception of hydrochloric acid, attack it, and fused alkalies dissolve it readily. ”

“ If bismuth turned into mercury, what would mercury turn into? There would be no rest for me until I had solved the question. I renewed the exhausted batteries and passed the current through the bowl of quicksilver. For sixteen hours I sat watching the metal, marking how it slowly seemed to curdle, to grow firmer, to lose its silvery glitter and to take a dull yellow hue. When I at last picked it up in a forceps, and threw it upon the table, it had lost every characteristic of mercury, and had obviously become another metal. ”

“ It is well to understand the mechanism thoroughly, for any mistake might be a grave matter for the operator. You are dealing with gigantic forces. But you perceive that the lead is already beginning to turn.”
Silvery dew-like drops had indeed begun to form upon the dull-coloured mass, and to drop with a tinkle and splash into the glass troughs. Slowly the lead melted away, like an icicle in the sun, the electrodes ever closing upon it as it contracted, until they came together in the centre, and a row of pools of quicksilver had taken the place of the solid metal. ”

“ It is obvious that a very slight retardation in the rate of escape of the thorium emanation from the compound into the gas, will, on account of the rapid decay of activity of the emanation, produce great changes in emanating power. The regeneration of the emanating power of de-emanated thoria and radium by solution and chemical treatment made it evident that the original power of thorium and radium of producing the emanation still persisted in an unaltered degree. ”

“ Robert had sat listening to this strange statement with parted lips and staring eyes.
"I will show you. Speaking atomically, bismuth is the heaviest of the metals. Its atomic weight is 210. The next in weight is lead, 207, and then comes mercury at 200. Possibly the long period during which the current had acted in my absence had reduced the bismuth to lead and the lead in turn to mercury. Now platinum stands at 197.5, and it was accordingly the next metal to be produced by the continued current. ”

“ Solid bodies, made active by thorium, lose their activity much more slowly; the intensity of the radiation is reduced to one-half in eleven hours.
Dissipation of Activity in a Confined Space. Velocity of Destruction of the Emanation. An enclosure, made active by radium and then removed from its influence, loses its activity by a law which is much less rapid than that of dissipation in the open air. The experiment may be carried out with a glass tube, rendered active internally by placing it for some time in contact with a solution of a salt of radium. ”

“ The Electric Light as a Source of Nitric Acid.—It is known that, when combustion takes place at high temperatures, small quantities of the nitrogen and oxygen of atmospheric air combine, forming several oxides of nitrogen, many of which are strong, corrosive acids. This is the case when electric sparks are passed through air, also during combustion in air of hydrogen. It therefore appears probable that, as the temperature of the electric arc is undoubtedly very high, nitric acid, or some other oxide of nitrogen, might be produced by the electric light. ”

“ Her smile was encouraging.
“He said—and I quote”—Mike’s voice assumed a gloomy, but stilted tone—“normal hydrogen gas consists of diatomic [188] molecules. The nuclear, or proton, spin of these atoms—ah—that is, of the two atoms that compose the molecule—may be oriented in the same direction or in opposite directions.”
He held a finger in the air as if to make a deep philosophical point. “If,” he said pontifically, “they are oriented in the same direction, we refer to the substance as orthohydrogen. If they are oriented in opposite directions, it is parahydrogen. ”

“ Glass reservoirs containing air charged with the emanation are luminous, Thuringian glass being the most sensitive. Phosphorescent sulphide of zinc is particularly sensitive to the action of the emanation from radium, and then gives an intense light.
If in a closed space substances become more active the greater the amount of free gas around them. When plates placed parallel to one another, and a short distance apart, are put into a closed space with radium, the faces of each plate become excited in proportion to its distance from the others. ”

“ When zinc is dissolved in nitric acid, whatever is its specific gravity, certain quantities of nitrous oxide are produced.
Nitric acids of greater specific gravity than 1.2, act upon zinc with great rapidity, and great increase of temperature. The gases disengaged from these solutions consist of nitrous gas, nitrous oxide, and nitrogene; the nitrous oxide rarely equals one third of the whole. ”

“ Sunlight, if direct, can cause a slow decomposition, as with all nitro and nitric compounds. Electric sparks ignite, without exploding it, at least when operating in the open air.
Dynamite, when made with neutral nitro-glycerine, appears to keep indefinitely. Sodium or calcium carbonate to the extent of 1 per cent. is often added to dynamite to ensure its being neutral. If it has commenced to undergo change, however, it rapidly becomes acid, and sometimes explodes spontaneously, especially if contained in resisting envelopes. ”