X-ray powder diffraction methods are the basic methods for the characterization of solids, especially polycrystalline substances. Using these methods, I analyzed four samples of modelling clay and 17 samples of plasticine from different manufacturers. I focused on materials intended for artistic creation by children. First, I prepared the samples so that they were suitable for measuring X-ray powder patterns. I performed a qualitative X-ray powder analysis using the Crystallographica Search-Match (CSM) program and a database of powder diffractograms - PDF-2 standards and identified the phases that were present in each sample. This was followed by a quantitative analysis with the TOPAS program using the Rietveld method, where I determined mass fractions of the identified phases in the sample. By the refinement of the scale factors and several structural and profile parameters, I tried to obtain the best possible fit of the calculated powder pattern with the measured one.
I found that all four modelling clays contain a lot of gypsum and a lot of talc and varying amounts of clinochlor. Lumpi and Kreable modelling clays still contained a little quartz, both Kreable clays still contained a little anhydrite and calcite. I explained the red colour of one modelling mass by the presence of hematite.
There were three types of plasticine. One group of related plasticine consists of those that have a high background on the powder pattern, and table salt as the main crystalline substance. Apart from halite, I also identified gypsum in these, except in one case. The amorphous substance is most likely represented by starch, as I saw in the literature that there are plasticine consisting of salt, flour and water. In the second group of plasticine, the main component is calcite, and the knead-ability is apparently made possible by a small amount of paraffin. Calcite is mentioned in the literature as a component of plasticine in addition to paraffin, but in a smaller amount than I found. Plasticine in the third group contains a greater number of substances than the others. Most of them contain calcite, but they also contain some quartz and several layered silicates or aluminosilicates. Plasticine of different colours from the same manufacturer have a similar composition, and unfortunately I was unable to identify the pigments in the plasticines.
The results of the analyses are chemically reasonable and were also consistent with the information about the possible composition of these materials found in the literature.
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