Strontium Titanate

Strontium titanate is an oxide of strontium and titanium with the chemical formula SrTiO3. At room temperature, it is a centrosymmetric paraelectric material with a perovskite structure. At low temperatures it approaches a ferroelectric phase transition with a very large dielectric constant ~104 but remains paraelectric down to the lowest temperatures measured as a result of quantum fluctuations. It was long thought to be a wholly artificial material, until 1982 when its natural counterpart – discovered in Siberia and named tausonite – was recognised by the IMA. Tausonite remains an extremely rare mineral in nature, occurring as very tiny crystals. Its most important application has been in its synthesized form wherein it is occasionally encountered as a diamond simulant, in precision optics, in varistors, and in advanced ceramics.

Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_titanate

Chemical Composition :

Strontium Titanate – SrTiO3

Classification / Type :

Strontium Titanate is a man made material. The term synthetic is not used to refer to this material, since it does not have a natural counterpart.

Crystal System / Forms :

Cubic System

Cuts & Uses :

Facetted cuts, beads, etc.

Dispersion : 0.190 (high fire)
Hardness : 6
Lustre : Sub-Adamantine
Magnification :

Generally clean, but gas bubbles maybe seen, dispersive fire is seen on the pavilion facets.

Optic Character :

Isotropic (S.R.)

Pleochroism : None
Refractive Index / Birefringence :

2.409

Simulants (with separation tests) :

Diamond (dispersion, S.G.), Y.A.G. (dispersion, S.G.), G.G.G. (S.G., dispersion), Zircon (optic character, doubling, spectrum), Synthetic Rutile (optic character, dispersion), Synthetic Cubic Zirconia (dispersion, S.G.), etc.

Specific Tests :

High dispersive fire; low see through effect.

Spectrum :

Not characteristic

Synthesis :

Flame Fusion Method

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