gsminmag Mineralogical Magazine Mineralogical Magazine 0026-461X Mineralogical Society 10.1180/minmag.1966.035.273.08 Delafossite and the System Cu-Fe-O Buist D. S. M.Sc., M.A. 1 Gadalla A. M. M. Ph.D., M.Sc. Tech., B.Eng. White J. D.Sc., Ph.D., A.R.T.C., F.I.M., F.I.Ceram. Department of Ceramics with Refractories Technology, University of Sheffield

Group Mineralogist, General Refractories Ltd., Worksop.

 3 1966 35 273 731 741 9 4 1965 Copyright © 1966, The Mineralogical Society 1966 Summary

An investigation of the system Cu-Fe-O has established the existence of a phase near 3Cu2O.Fe3O4 and the non-existence of Cu2O.Fe2O3 a in the system over the range of oxygen pressures investigated.

The X-ray diffraction patterns obtained from four samples of natural delafossite have been found to be similar to that obtained from a synthetic sample of the 3Cu2O.Fe3O4 phase. It has also been shown that, when heated under equilibrium conditions in the thermobalance in air, a sample of natural delafossite and the synthetic 3Cu2O.Fe3O4 behaved similarly.