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Techniques for Collectorspectolite in HCl

25th May 2007 22:22 UTCPhil B.

Would like to etch some pectolite from calcite. Can it safely go in HCl?

Thanks.

Phil.

26th May 2007 05:45 UTCDon Saathoff Expert

HCL will have minimal effect on the pectolite but will DESTROY the calcite

26th May 2007 05:45 UTCAlfredo Petrov Manager

No, the HCl will destroy both.

27th May 2007 00:00 UTCPhil B.

Thanks very much. I will leave them as is.

Phil.

27th May 2007 00:30 UTCAnonymous User

Hi there!

Do you want to get rid of the Calcite or the pectolite?If you want to keep the Calcite forget the solutions of any type.If you want to keep pectolite,there may be a way,but I don't know.Someone else could help.

Mechanically,it would work,but you can also destroy the specimen.

27th May 2007 22:00 UTCPhil B.

I would like to retreive the pectolite. The crystals are, unfortunately, very fragile.

Phil.

27th May 2007 23:53 UTCAnonymous User

Hello!

Could anyone help about chemical way to remove Calcite from pectolite?Here in the forum it is told that Calcite is carbonate and can dissolve in any solution.Any solution that would attack Calcite but not pectolite?

28th May 2007 00:20 UTCChris Mavris Manager

Geia su Kosta!!

As far as I remember, pectolite is not easily etched by HCl...at least, that's the result of my last trial on a similar specimen.

Kind regards, Chris

28th May 2007 02:26 UTCDavid K. Joyce Expert

I have had very good success etching fairly fragile minerals from calcite with vinegar. It is slow but attacks the calcite nicely. It often will leave other HCL-soluble minerals intact. I always try a sample first to determine the effect. Maybe there is a reference or a book that has that information for this case? Anybody?

David K. Joyce

8th Jun 2007 11:26 UTCRock Currier Expert

Phil

I think off the top of my head that a 10% solution of hydrochloric acid will remove calcite from pectolite with little damage to the pectolite. Drop a junk fragment of the pectolite in a 10% HCl solution for an hour then take it out, rinse it well a few times and let it dry. Then look at it closely, preferable under a microscope, and compare it to an un-acid washed pectolite and see if you can tell any difference. If there is no visible difference, then go ahead and etch the calcite off your good specimen.

Rock

8th Jun 2007 21:01 UTCPhil B.

Hello all,

Thanks for the feedback, unfortuanetly i dont have enough samples to test on.

Could someone confirm if it is safe or not to put in acetic acid?

Thanks,

Phil.

24th Jun 2007 19:38 UTCPeter Haas

Acetic acid is safe.

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