A cutting technique, based on the use of carefully prepared plan projections, has been evolved for the making of unlimited numbers of accurate wooden replicas of natural crystals.

The theoretical basis for the stability of binary and quasi-binary solutions is discussed with special emphasis on miscibility relations. Solutions of the distribution equations are presented for the case of two and three coexisting regular solutions and this model is used to illustrate the energetics of miscibility relations. The same principles are then extended to give a qualitative interpretation to sequences of mineral assemblages consisting of pyroxenes, amphiboles, micas, and feldspars. A formulation is presented for the intrinsic stability of a solution, which depends on the presence or absence of an excess free energy of mixing, and the extrinsic stability of a solution, which depends on the standard free energy of the component end members.

A simple form of adjustable monochromatic interference filter, suitable for both transmitted- and reflected-light microscopy, is described and figured.

The transformation of groutite (α-MnOOH) by heating has been studied at 300° C in air, by single-crystal and powder X-ray methods. At this temperature groutite transforms topotactically into pyrolusite (MnO2), the a, b, and c axes of groutite becoming respectively the a, b, and c axes of pyrolusite (in pyrolusite b = a). At various stages of the transformation other weak and diffuse spots were observed on X-ray oscillation photographs, which could not be ascribed to pyrolusite. Some of these extra spots fit well to an α-Mn2O3 structure (isostructural with hematite), with c 14·3 and a 4·9 Å; the other few spots could not be identified.

The transformation of α-MnOOH into MnO2 is explained by a homogeneous mechanism, with migration of protons and electrons to the crystal surface. A detailed interpretation of this mechanism is presented on the basis of the close-packing characteristics of these two structures.