ABSTRACT
Although etch tests are not used as frequently as they used to be, they can still perform a useful function in ore microscopy. The demise of the diagnostic etch tests is partially due to the development of more definitive methods of analysis and identification, e.g. the use of the electron microprobe and the application of X-ray diffraction and fluorescence techniques. Etching should only be considered as one of the many aids towards the identification of a mineral. Structural (or textural) etching is commonly used in metallurgical laboratories where it may reveal alloy microstructures which would otherwise be invisible.
