[thedoc (OP)]

Donjia Wren asked the Naked Scientists:
   Hello

We are trying to see whether an item is stone or resin. See below the description of the material described in the brochure, translated from Italian:

'Rock of homogeneous fine-grained metamorphic rocks generated, derived from original stones of sedimentary, composed of clay and volcanic ash. The result is a natural rock sheet of ever-changing tone for the different layers of stone.'

Would it be possible to push a heated needle through this material?
What do you think?

[Atomic-S]

A heated needle is definitely a possible test. Another possible test is to do a scratch hardness test. However, if the material is some kind of a processed material, it could well be a composite that contains both stone and resin. Properly testing could require a fairly sophisiticated analysis requiring laboratory equipment.

[hamdani yusuf]

Resin contains a lot of carbon atoms, so if it is adequately heated with oxygen around, it can produce CO2.
Perhaps you can use electric stove/heater to make sure that the CO2 doesn't come from the fuel. Oxygen from the air should be enough.
Detecting CO2 can be done using quicklime solution just like in biology class.

[William McC]

They sometimes use a plasticized stone, that uses fluorine I believe, to actually breakdown the silicone, and then bond it to the metals and oxides of metals. I doubt that you will be able to melt it, after rather vigorous heating, it creates a very hard surface, that can be polished.

But I will mix up a batch when I have a chance and see if it has any weakness to heat.


Sincerely,

William McCormick