4
$\begingroup$

Are there any crystal that is:

  • insoluble in water and other common liquids
  • does not melt or become chemically altered in most scenarios
  • can be synthesized at relatively low temperatures (less than 1500 degree Celsius)
  • can be made relatively cheaply (not more expansive than synthetic diamond)
  • monocrystalline, or at least easy to anneal

I am asking because I want to find a kind of crystal that can be used in my world as a "base" for magic instruments, which are synthetic and relatively abundant (as compared to jewelry). The magic itself is mostly irrelevant to the synthesis process, beside making the final product magical.

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
2
  • $\begingroup$ Check this out: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrothermal_synthesis. You can grow them (small size) in a pressure cooker. $\endgroup$
    – AstroDan
    Jul 5, 2016 at 2:34
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ I'm glad you found my answer so useful - however, I thought I should mention a question with an accepted answer might not attract as many other answers. If you're sure mine is what you want I don't mind the checkmark... but I'm not going to be offended if you want to wait and see of other good answers show up, either. $\endgroup$
    – Megha
    Jul 5, 2016 at 3:25

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3
$\begingroup$

Quartz.

Quartz crystals are pretty common, the second most common mineral in the earth's crust, and so fairly cheap. They are not easily dissolved in water or any other liquid, do not easily melt or react chemically, and are one of the hardest common materials. The crystals have to be pretty stable or there wouldn't be so much of it found in the crust, it would all be reacted or dissolved away.

They can be synthesized - and while the exact temperature is difficult to find, that a common pressure cooker is used as a suggestion for making small crystals at home suggests that it is possible within your temperature range. However, quartz is common enough you may not need to synthesize them to have plenty of crystals for everyone. (one source claims the temperature is 345-380*C, so well under your range... though it does require 1000-1500 bars of pressure as well)

Monocrystalline, hmm - pure quartz is SiO2, an oxidated sillicon crystal that should have a pretty regular lattice (forgive if that wasn't what you mean). There are a lot of varieties, and some are more likely to be polycrystalline than others, but at least clear quartz, and probably a few of the more translucent, evenly colored, or stable, or something varieties might be monocrystalline as well.

Quartz can be annealed, at 1140*C (analogous to firing pottery, I think) - I think that's still in your "lesser than 1500*C" range?

Of course, the differing varieties, colors, and properties may or may not have effects on their magic use - or people might assume they do. Lots of fun to play with!

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .