Synthetic ‘Deweylite’

K. Speakman and A. J. Majumdar
Building Research Station, Garston, Watford

Summary: Materials similar to the natural hydrated magnesium silicate mineral deweylite have been synthesized hydrothermally under low-temperature-low-pressure conditions from magnesia-silica gels. Optical, X-ray, infra-red, and DTA examinations have shown that both the natural and synthetic materials are mixtures of badly crystallized talc and badly crystallized serpentine. The mineral is thought to be a coarse mixture of these two components while the synthetic products are intimately interlayered. These materials are believed to be closely related to the hydrated magnesium silicates detected in high-magnesia cement hydration products.

Mineralogical Magazine; June 1971 v. 38; no. 294; p. 225-234; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1971.038.294.12
© 1971, The Mineralogical Society
Mineralogical Society (www.minersoc.org)