Program Overview

Vorlesung: Methoden der Anorganischen Chemie

III. Bildgebende Verfahren

2. Optische Mikroskopie

The optical microscope is a crucial tool in the field of inorganic chemistry, providing valuable insights into the morphology, surface characteristics, homogeneity, color, and phase composition of samples.

• General applications of optical microscopy include:
  • Morphology (cleavability)
  • Surface characteristics (patterns, stripes, gloss)
  • Homogeneity
  • Color
  • Phase composition
• Specialized applications:
  • Reflexion: In addition to normal observation, reflexion can be used for:
    • Schliffbilder (in phase analysis)
    • "Atzexperimente
    • Heiztische Goniometer (orientation and surface measurement of single crystals)
  • Transmission:
    • Polarization microscopes provide information on crystallography, enabling the distinction between isotropic and anisotropic groups based on the presence of double refraction and polarization.
    • Polarization: The propagation of light in anisotropic media is not spherical, resulting in the formation of wave surfaces and general ellipsoids (indicated by the reciprocal tensor of the dielectric constant).

Zusammenfassung optischer Eigenschaften nach Kristallsystemen

The optical properties of crystals can be summarized according to their crystal systems as follows: