Royal Society of Chemistry, Chemical Communications, 46(49), p. 5259
DOI: 10.1039/c3cc41506f
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Al2O3 changes from transparent to a range of intense colours depending on the chemical impurities present. In blue sapphire, Fe and Ti are incorporated; however, the chemical process that gives rise to the colour has long been debated. Atomistic modelling identifies charge transfer from Ti(iii) to Fe(iii) as being responsible for the characteristic blue appearance.