| Abstract: | Studies on etching of (110) cleavages of natrolite crystals in organic acids (viz., succinic acid, formic acid, and phthalic acid) and stream under high hydrostatic pressures have been made. It is observed that on successive etching of matched cleavages in any of these organic etchants, the pits get bigger both in regard to depth as well as lateral dimensions. Study of matched cleavages etched in any of these etchants indicates 1:1 correspondence of point bottomed pits. Similar results are obtained when matched cleavages are etched by the hydrothermal method. In contrast to such results, it is observed that the etch pit density on a cleavage etched by the hydrothermal method is always higher when compared with its matched cleavage etched in any of the given organic acids. Through a series of experiments, it is found that while corresponding to every etch pit due to any of these organic acids there is a pit due to hydrothermal etching, the converse is not true. It is suggested that the hydrothermal etching is more reliable so far as dislocation density estimation on (101) cleavages of natrolite is concerned. |
