Abstract
V. M. GOLDSCHMIDT1 has been able to demonstrate that the radius of an ion is a fundamental factor in regulating isomorphic behaviour, ions of like size being capable of replacing each other isomorphically within a crystal lattice. The application of this law of crystal chemistry to a study of the distribution of the elements in the earth's crust has yielded fruitful results; in particular, the behaviour of many of the rarer elements during the fractional crystallization of a magma is now reasonably well understood. For example, Goldschmidt2 has pointed out that, since the radii of Rb+, Tl+ and Cs+ (1·49, 1·49 and 1·65 A., respectively) are similar to that of K+ (1·33 A.), these elements are commonly found in potassium-rich minerals, particularly those of late pegmatitic phases.
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References
Goldschmidt, V. M., J. Chem. Soc., 655 (1937).
Goldschmidt, V. M., Trans. Farad. Soc., 25, 253 (1929).
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AHRENS, L. Isomorphic Relationship between Rubidium and Thallium in Igneous Minerals. Nature 155, 610 (1945). https://doi.org/10.1038/155610a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/155610a0
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