The properties and uses of Corundum

Corundum is a rock-forming mineral that is found in igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary rocks. It is an aluminum oxide with a chemical composition of Al₂O₃ and a hexagonal crystal structure.

The mineral is widely known for its extreme hardness and for the fact that it is sometimes found as beautiful transparent crystals in many different colors. The extreme hardness makes corundum an excellent abrasive, and when that hardness is found in beautiful crystals, you have the perfect material for cutting gemstones.

Properties

Corundum is an exceptionally hard and tough material. It is the third-hardest mineral, after diamond and moissanite. It serves as the index mineral for a hardness of nine on the Mohs Hardness Scale.

Its hardness, high specific gravity, hexagonal crystals and parting are very good diagnostic properties to use in its identification.

Geologic Occurrence

Corundum is found as a primary mineral in igneous rocks such as syenite, nepheline syenite, and pegmatite. Some of the world's most important ruby and sapphire deposits are found where the gems have weathered from basalt flows and are now found in the downslope soils and sediments.

Corundum is also found in metamorphic rocks in locations where aluminous shales or bauxites have been exposed to contact metamorphism. Schist, gneiss, and marble produced by regional metamorphism will sometimes contain corundum. Some of the sapphires and rubies of highest quality, color, and clarity are formed in marble along the edges of subsurface magma bodies.

Corundum's toughness, high hardness, and chemical resistance enable it to persist in sediments long after other minerals have been destroyed. This is why it is often found concentrated in alluvial deposits.

Uses

Natural and synthetic corundum are used in a wide variety of industrial applications because of their toughness, hardness, and chemical stability. They are used to make industrial bearings, scratch-resistant windows for electronic instruments, wafers for circuit boards, and many other products.

The extreme hardness of corundum makes it especially useful as an abrasive. Crushed corundum is processed to remove impurities and then screened to produce uniformly sized granules and powders. These are used for grinding media, polishing compounds, sand papers, grinding wheels, and other cutting applications.

Some problems with using natural corundum as an abrasive are that the deposits are usually small, irregular in shape, and the corundum is of variable quality. They are not reliable sources of consistent-quality material needed to run a manufacturing process. Synthetic corundum, produced using calcined bauxite, has become a more reliable source with more consistent properties. It has replaced natural corundum in most manufactured products.

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