Università Roma Tre

Course Program – 1st semester
Introduction. Definition of crystal and mineral. Mineralogy in earth science. Minerals as economic resource. History of mineralogy.
Crystal morphology. Symmetry and symmetry operations. The 32 points groups. Crystallographic axes. The 32 classes and seven systems of crystals. Axial ratios, Weiss parameters, Miller indices of crystal faces. Crystal forms and crystal habit. Twinning. Stereographic projection of crystal faces and forms.
Crystal structures. Translational symmetry: rows, plane and three-dimensional lattices. The 14 Bravais lattices. Symmetry operations with translation: screw axes and glide planes. The 230 space groups.
Crystal chemistry. Atoms and ions: structure, electron affinity, ionization energy, electronegativity, atomic and ionic radii. Chemical bonds and bonding. Packing, coordination, charge balance. Pauling's rules.
Energetics and mineral stability. Basic thermodynamic concepts. Crystallization and crystal growth. Solid solutions. Phase transitions and phase diagrams. Polymorphism. Twinning and crystal defects.
Chemical composition of minerals. Calculation of mineral formulas from chemical analyses. Graphical representation and interpretation of data.
Physical properties of minerals. Mechanical (hardness, cleavage, tenacity etc.), electrical, magnetic properties. Specific gravity. Color and optical effects (asterism, chatoyancy, play of colors, etc.).
Systematic mineralogy. Mineral classification. Systematic of non-silicate minerals. Systematic of silicate minerals.
Practical. Crystal morphology. Stereographic projections. Identification of minerals in hand specimen.

Course Program – 2nd semester.
Optical properties. Nature of light as an electromagnetic wave: wave nomenclature, wave front, wave normal, phase and interference. Polarizing microscope. Reflection, refraction, dispersion and polarization. Refractive indices and Snell's law. Birefringence. Uniaxial and biaxial indicatrix. Optical properties of minerals using polarized light: color, form and habit, cleavage, pleochroism, refractive index, relief, Becke line. Optical properties of minerals using crossed polars: interference colors, extinction, and elongation sign. Optical properties of minerals using convergent polarized light: uniaxial and biaxial interference figures (optic sign, 2v and birefringence). Optical properties of the most common rock forming minerals.
Laboratory. Introduction to the petrographic microscope. Relief and Becke line test. Color and pleochroism. Interference colors and birefringence estimation. Interference figures of uniaxial and biaxial minerals. Optical properties and identification of the principal rock forming minerals.

Klein c. (2004). Mineralogia. Zanichelli.
Deer W.A., Howie R.A. & Zussman Jj. (1994). Introduzione ai minerali che costituiscono le rocce. Zanichelli.
Mottana A. (1989). Fondamenti di mineralogia geologica. Zanichelli.

And eventually also:
Dyar M.D. e Gunter M. (2008). Mineralogy and optical mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America.
Putnis A. (1992). Introduction to Mineral Sciences. Cambridge University Press.
Bloss F.D. (1999). Optical crystallography. Mineralogical Society of America.