Mineralight was developed to fill the need for a simple method of identifying those substances which respond or “fluoresce” when subjected to ultraviolet light. In the field of mineralogy, some 200 minerals are known to have this property of fluoresence. Early day prospectors, while searching for gold, discarded valuable minerals, such as scheelite; being unable to recognize them by ordinary field methods. The modern prospector does not pass by these opportunities, since he uses the easily portable, compact Mineralight.
Besides the application in mining, this lamp is also used extensively in ore dressing and mineralogical laboratories; ore sorting; the “fluorochemistry” field; investigating various petroleum, organic, and inorganic chemical products; biological materials; the dye industry; and in criminological work.
The Mineralight is available in nineteen different models. It is equipped for 110 volt alternating current, 6 volt battery operation, or a combination of both. The intensity of the lamp depends on the amount of quartz tubing placed in the lamp. The standard lamp is furnished with a set of identified fluorescent minerals and operating instructions. Auxiliary equipment such as willemite screens for mercury detection, standardized scheelite analyzer card, carrying case, battery, etc., is also available.
