Synthetic Fluorescent Mineral: BaS:Cu+ (UVa)

 

FOV: 1" wide

 

After reading a paper titled "The Bologna Stone: history's first persistent luminescent material" I was inspired to attempt to investigate the paper's claim that The Bologna Stone (a "mystical" medieval stone that glowed in the dark) was in reality barium sulfide with a copper impurity.

 

A small quantity of barium sulfate doped with 1% copper (by mol) was made by combining solutions of barium chloride, cupric chloride with a solution of sodium sulfate. The resulting precipitate was then filtered and dried then combined with carbon (21% by weight) then fired in an alumina crucible over the flame of a MAPP gas torch. The crucible became "pale pink" hot and was fired for almost 15 minutes over two sessions.

 

The image shows the results after the second firing.

 

Contains:

Bologna Stone? (FL+PHOS Orange >UVabc+blue)

 

Shown under UVa light.

 

Key:

WL = White light (halogen + LED)

FL = Fluoresces

PHOS = Phosporescent

UVa = 368nm (LW), UVb = 311nm (MW), UVc = 254nm (SW)

'>' = "stimulated by:", '!' = "bright", '~' = "dim"

 

 

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Thanks to Professor Jorma Ho¨lsa¨ and Melanie Matthieu for their help on this project.

See: www.maxlab.lu.se/sites/default/files/I811_123_MAX-lab_act...

 

 

18 Watt Triple Output UV lamp from Polman Minerals - Way Too Cool UV lamps

Done