It features two ways of calculating mineral formulas. One is anion-based method that uses prior knowledge of how many oxygens (and other negatively charge ions) are present in the formula. For example, in the formula of olivine, Mg2[SiO4], 4 oxygens. Imagine a grain of olivine was analyzed by electron microprobe yielding 42.06 % MgO, 18.75 % FeO and 39.19 % SiO2. Knowing that the mineral has 4 units of oxygen, the rest of the formula will be calculated as Mg1.6Fe0.4[SiO4]. See this implemented in the screenshot.
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Sunday, May 5, 2019
Mineral formula calculator: up and running
It features two ways of calculating mineral formulas. One is anion-based method that uses prior knowledge of how many oxygens (and other negatively charge ions) are present in the formula. For example, in the formula of olivine, Mg2[SiO4], 4 oxygens. Imagine a grain of olivine was analyzed by electron microprobe yielding 42.06 % MgO, 18.75 % FeO and 39.19 % SiO2. Knowing that the mineral has 4 units of oxygen, the rest of the formula will be calculated as Mg1.6Fe0.4[SiO4]. See this implemented in the screenshot.