Tonci Balic Zunic

Tonci Balic Zunic

Associate Professor emeritus

My primary interest is in understanding the nature of the solid state and my primary expertise in developing the mathematical tools for its study and developing and applying the experimental methods for this. I teach new generations in this field and I also work in applying the diffraction methods as aid in geological and planetological studies, development of new materials, environmental protection, medical applications and other applications for the benefit of mankind.

Presently active research: Mineralogy of Icelandic fumaroles, Limits and improvement of the Rietveld method in Mineralogy, High-pressure crystallography of sulphosalts, Mineralogy of the Stone Age artefacts.

Perpetual research activity: Aspects and meaning of the geometry of crystal structures.

Present teaching: Mineralogy and Mineral Resources (bachelor course in Danish: Mineralogi og mineralressourcer); Core to Crust II (Masters course, second half covering Mineralogy of the deep Earth), Applied Mineralogy (Masters course).

Selected publications:

Balić Žunić, T., Makovicky, E. (1996): Determination of the Centroid or "the Best Centre" of a Coordination Polyhedron. Acta cryst., B52, 78-81.

Balić Žunić, T., Dohrup, J. (1999): Use of an ellipsoid model for the determination of average crystallite shape and size in polycrystalline samples. Powder Diffraction, 14, 203-207.

Balić-Žunić, T. (2002): Quantitative powder diffraction phase analysis with a combination of the Rietveld method and the addition method. Powder Diffraction, 17, 287-289.

Olsen, L.A., Balić-Žunić, T., Makovicky, E. (2008): High-pressure anisotropic distortion of Pb3Bi2S6: a pressure-induced, reversible phase transition with migration of chemical bonds. Inorg. Chem., 47, 6756-6762.

Balić-Žunić, T., Garavelli, A., Acquafredda, P., Leonardsen, E., Jakobsson, S.P. (2009): Eldfellite, NaFe(SO4)2, a new fumarolic mineral from Eldfell volcano, Iceland. Mineralogical Magazine, 73, 51-57.

Balic-Zunic, T., Piazolo, S., Katerinopoulou, A., Schmith, J.H. (2013): Full analysis of feldspar texture and crystal structure by combining X-ray and electron techniques. American Mineralogist, 98, 41–52.

Balić-Žunić, T., Garavelli, A., Jakobsson, S.P., Jonasson, K., Katerinopoulos, A., Kyriakopoulos, K., Acquafredda, P. (2016): Fumarolic Minerals: An Overview of Active European Volcanoes. In: Updates in Volcanology - From Volcano Modelling to Volcano Geology, ed. Nemeth, K., InTech, DOI: 10.5772/64129.

Comodi, P., Guidoni, F., Nazzareni, S., Balić-Žunić, T., Zucchini, A., Makovicky, E., Prakapenka, V. (2018): A high-pressure phase transition in chalcostibite, CuSbS2. European Journal of Mineralogy, 30, 491-505.

Balić-Žunić, T., Garavelli, A., Mitolo, D. (2018): Topsøeite, FeF3(H2O)3, a new fumarolic mineral from the Hekla Volcano, Iceland. European Journal of Mineralogy, 30, 841–848.

Balić-Žunić, T., Garavelli, A., Pinto, D., Mitolo, D. (2018): Verneite, Na2Ca3Al2F14, a New Aluminum Fluoride Mineral from Icelandic and Vesuvius Fumaroles. Minerals, 8, 553 (10 pp).

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