Quartz Dust on Microscope Slide
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By viewing a “well-prepared sample" (e.g., after Talvitie treatment) through the
microscope one can discern the quartz as blue-yellow particles when viewed
between crossed polarizers. The color depends on the orientation of the
crystalline fragments in relation to the illuminating polarized light. Extensive
sample preparation, cleanup, and the tedious process of microscopic particle
counting are hallmarks of this tedious technique. The method suffers from a
difficulty (often inability) in distinguishing silica forms for the small
particles involved in air samples; microscopy is useful down to only about 0.5
µm. The image of the sample is two-dimensional; the third dimension must be
estimated, as well as the percentage quartz composition.
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