IMPURITY CONTENT CHARACTERIZATION OF BRAZILIAN QUARTZ LASCAS

Lattice impurities (Al, Li, Fe) free from the influence of cations in inclusion liquid were evaluated by atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS) in quartz lascas taken from 10 deposits with known localities in three states, Minas Gerais, Tocantins and Bahia. Levels of Al content and associated Li content depend on the localities of deposits. Quartz deposit regions with high Al content are composed of granite, gneiss, and pegmatite as surrounding rocks. It was concluded that the charge compensation for Al-Si substitution in quartz lascas was realized substantially by the formation of Al-Li and Al-OH centers which were confirmed from the linear relation of Al-Li plots by AAS data and IR spectra due to Al-OH center. The variety in Al-Li and Al-OH correlations was attributed to the fluctuation of growing conditions of quartz in nature.