The German term quarz came to our language as quartz. It is a mineral of great hardness and colorless in its natural state, which is formed with silica (a compound made up of oxygen and silicon).
Quartz, widely present in the crust of planet Earth, is the anhydrous silica. In general terms, we speak of anhydrous or anhydrous to refer to a substance that does not have water, and to obtain it, different methods must be applied, depending on the case.
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The most frequently used way of obtaining the anhydrous form of a solvent is to boil it with a hygroscopic substance, that is, one that is capable of absorbing moisture from the surrounding medium. On the other hand, it is also possible to use alkalis or molecular sieves, such as barium oxide or potassium hydroxide.
Quartz can be found in various kinds of rocks, mixed with titanium, potassium, sodium, lithium and other substances. On the Mohs scale, developed by the German Friedrich Mohs in the 19th century, quartz has a hardness of grade 7, which means it can scratch ordinary glass and steel.
According to the substance with which it is mixed, quartz has different colors and properties. Among the best known varieties of quartz are the following:
* Citrine – is a highly magnetic stone, believed to be beneficial in fostering creativity, dynamism and enthusiasm, as well as attracting abundance;
* agate : vibration at high frequencies and is said to give us security and firmness through the absorption of negative energies;
* Amethyst – This variety of quartz is considered “protective” as it acts as an alert to keep awareness awake and enhance intuition. It also helps to get rid of negative emotions and calm anger;
* crystal quartz : it is one of the most beneficial minerals on this list, as it amplifies and enhances energy and directs it where we want it. Many people use it to fight negative energies that prevent them from moving forward in life. Despite its popularity in certain areas, it is also largely unknown in others.
The uses of quartz are multiple. It can be used to make sandpaper, optical instruments, and gems. It is also used in the development of the electronic watches known as quartz watches.
These watches have a piece of this material that, activated through an electric battery, produces the impulses that are needed to measure time at regular intervals. Quartz is usually carved as a sheet and placed inside a metal cylinder that protects it. The electricity provided by the battery causes the quartz to vibrate regularly, allowing the temporary measurement to be made.
The history of the quartz clock goes back to the beginning of the 20th century, when JW Horton and Warren Morrison manufactured the first example in the laboratories of the Bell Telephone company in North America. The Japanese watch manufacturer Seiko used its own quartz watch called Quartz Crystal QC-591 in 1964 to time the Tokyo Olympics. Three years later the first two wristband versions appeared, although still in prototype status ; one of them, also made by Seiko, was the first to reach commercial stores, in 1969.
A quartz crystal microbalance, on the other hand, is a device used to measure mass. The use of this balance is linked to the precise measurement of very small masses.
