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Labyrinthite
Labyrinthite is a very rare mineral of the eudialyte group.Mindat, http://www.mindat.org/min-27420.html When compared to other species in the group, its structure is extremely complex - with over 100 sites and about 800 cations and anions - hence its name, with its complexity expressed in its chemical formula .Khomyakov, A.P., Nechelyustov, G.N., and Rastsvetaeva, R.K., 2006. Labyrinthite , a new mineral with a modular eudialyte-like structure from Khibiny Alkaline Massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. Zapiski Vserossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva 135(2), 38-49 The formula is simplified as it does not show the presence of cyclic silicate groups. Complexity of the structure results in symmetry lowering (likely due to ordering of cations) from the typical centrosymmetrical group to ''R''3 space group. Other eudialyte-group representatives with such symmetry lowering include aqualite, oneillite, raslakite, voronkovite. Labyrinthite is the second dual-nature (both zircono- and titan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eudialyte Group
Eudialyte group is a group of complex trigonal zircono- and, more rarely, titanosilicate minerals with general formula (1)N(2)N(3)N(4)N(5)sub>3 (1a)M(1b)sub>3M(2)3M(4)Z3 i24O72'4X2, where N(1) and N(2) and N(3) and N(5) = Na+ and more rarely H3O+ or H2O, N(4) = Na+, Sr2+, Mn2+ and more rarely H3O+ or H2O or K+ or Ca2+ or REE3+ (rare earth elements), M(1) and M(1b) = Ca2+, M(1a) = Ca2+ or Mn2+ or Fe2+, M(2) = Fe (both II and III), Mn and rarely Na+, K+ or Zr4+, M(3) = Si, Nb and rarely W, Ti and [] (vacancy defect, vacancy), M(4) = Si and or rarely [], Z Zr4+ and or rarely Ti4+, and X = OH−, Cl− and more rarely CO32− or F−. Some of the eudialyte-like structures can even be more complex, however, in general, its typical feature is the presence of i3O9sup>6− and i9O27sup>18− ring silicate groups. Space group is usually ''R''3''m'' or ''R''-3''m'' but may be reduced to ''R''3 due to cation ordering. Like other zirconosilicates, the eudialyte group minerals pos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alluaivite
Alluaivite is a rare mineral of the eudialyte group,http://www.mindat.org/show.php?id=141&ld=2 Mindat with complex formula written as .Khomyakov A. P., Netschelyustov G. N. and Rastsvetaeva R. K. 1990: Alluaivite Na19(Ca,Mn)6(Ti,Nb)3Si26O74Cl.2H2O - A new titanosilicate mineral of eudialyte-like structure. Zapiski Vsesoyuznogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva, 119(3), 117-120, in Jambor J. L. and Puziewicz J. 1991: New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 76, 1728-1735/ref> It is unique among the eudialyte group as the only titanosilicate (other representatives of the group are usually zirconosilicates). The two dual-nature minerals of the group, being both titano- and zirconosilicates, are labyrinthite and dualite. They both contain alluaivite module in their structures.Khomyakov, A.P., Nechelyustov, G.N., and Rastsvetaeva, R.K., 2006. Labyrinthite (Na,K,Sr)35Ca12Fe3Zr6TiSi51O144(O,OH,H2O)9Cl3, a new mineral with a modular eudialyte-like structure from Khibiny Alkaline Massif, Kola ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Silicate Mineral
Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, silica (silicon dioxide, ) is usually considered a silicate mineral. Silica is found in nature as the mineral quartz, and its polymorphism (materials science), polymorphs. On Earth, a wide variety of silicate minerals occur in an even wider range of combinations as a result of the processes that have been forming and re-working the crust for billions of years. These processes include partial melting, crystallization, fractionation, metamorphism, weathering, and diagenesis. Living organisms also contribute to this carbonate–silicate cycle, geologic cycle. For example, a type of plankton known as diatoms construct their exoskeletons ("frustules") from silica extracted from seawater. The frustules of dead diatoms are a major constituent of deep ocean sediment, and of diatomaceous e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lamprophyllite
Lamprophyllite (named for its lustrous cleavage) is a rare, but widespread mineral Ti-silicate mineral usually found in intrusive agpasitic igneous rocks. Yellow, reddish brown, Vitreous, Pearly. Lamprophyllite formula is (Sr,Ba,K,Na)2Na(Na,Fe,Mn)2Ti[Ti2O2(Si2O7)2[(O, OH,F)2 . Full isomorphic range between lampropyllite and baritollalpropyllite exist. The general crystal-chemical formula for lampropyllite-related minerals can be written as A2[(M1)(M2)2(M3)X2] 5] L2(Si2O7)2O2], where the contents of the O and H sheets are given in square brackets in this order and A = Sr, Ba,K, Na; M1 = Na, Mn2+; M2 = Na, Mn2+, Fe2+, Ca; M3 = Ti, Mn2+, Mg, Fe3+, Fe2+; L = Ti, Fe3+; X = OH, O, F. Lamprophyllite is monoclinic, The mineral also has an orthorhombic polytype In materials science, polymorphism describes the existence of a solid material in more than one form or crystal structure. Polymorphism is a form of isomerism. Any crystalline material can exhibit the phenomenon. Allotropy r ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calcium Minerals
Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to its heavier homologues strontium and barium. It is the fifth most abundant element in Earth's crust, and the third most abundant metal, after iron and aluminium. The most common calcium compound on Earth is calcium carbonate, found in limestone and the fossilised remnants of early sea life; gypsum, anhydrite, fluorite, and apatite are also sources of calcium. The name derives from Latin ''calx'' "lime", which was obtained from heating limestone. Some calcium compounds were known to the ancients, though their chemistry was unknown until the seventeenth century. Pure calcium was isolated in 1808 via electrolysis of its oxide by Humphry Davy, who named the element. Calcium compounds are widely used in many industries: in foods and pharmace ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sodium Minerals
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na (from Latin ''natrium'') and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal. Sodium is an alkali metal, being in group 1 of the periodic table. Its only stable isotope is 23Na. The free metal does not occur in nature, and must be prepared from compounds. Sodium is the sixth most abundant element in the Earth's crust and exists in numerous minerals such as feldspars, sodalite, and halite (NaCl). Many salts of sodium are highly water-soluble: sodium ions have been leached by the action of water from the Earth's minerals over eons, and thus sodium and chlorine are the most common dissolved elements by weight in the oceans. Sodium was first isolated by Humphry Davy in 1807 by the electrolysis of sodium hydroxide. Among many other useful sodium compounds, sodium hydroxide (lye) is used in soap manufacture, and sodium chloride (edible salt) is a de-icing agent and a nutrient for animals including human ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cyclosilicates
Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, silica (silicon dioxide, ) is usually considered a silicate mineral. Silica is found in nature as the mineral quartz, and its polymorphism (materials science), polymorphs. On Earth, a wide variety of silicate minerals occur in an even wider range of combinations as a result of the processes that have been forming and re-working the crust for billions of years. These processes include partial melting, crystallization, fractionation, metamorphism, weathering, and diagenesis. Living organisms also contribute to this carbonate–silicate cycle, geologic cycle. For example, a type of plankton known as diatoms construct their exoskeletons ("frustules") from silica extracted from seawater. The frustules of dead diatoms are a major constituent of deep ocean sediment, and of diatomaceous e ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eudialyte
Eudialyte, whose name derives from the Greek phrase , , meaning "well decomposable", is a somewhat rare, nine member ring cyclosilicate mineral, which forms in alkaline igneous rocks, such as nepheline syenites. Its name alludes to its ready solubility in acid. Eudialyte was first described in 1819 for an occurrence in nepheline syenite of the Ilimaussaq intrusive complex of southwest Greenland. Uses of eudialyte Eudialyte is used as a minor ore of zirconium. Another use of eudialyte is as a minor gemstone, but this use is limited by its rarity, which is compounded by its poor crystal habit. These factors make eudialyte of primary interest as a collector's mineral. Eudialyte typically has a significant content of U, Pb, Nb, Ta, Zr, Hf, and rare earth elements (REE). Because of this, geoscientists use eudialyte as a geochronometer to date and investigate the genesis of the host rocks. Associated minerals Eudialyte is found associated with other alkalic igneous minerals, in addit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerium
Cerium is a chemical element with the symbol Ce and atomic number 58. Cerium is a soft, ductile, and silvery-white metal that tarnishes when exposed to air. Cerium is the second element in the lanthanide series, and while it often shows the +3 oxidation state characteristic of the series, it also has a stable +4 state that does not oxidize water. It is also considered one of the rare-earth elements. Cerium has no known biological role in humans but is not particularly toxic, except with intense or continued exposure. Despite always occurring in combination with the other rare-earth elements in minerals such as those of the monazite and bastnäsite groups, cerium is easy to extract from its ores, as it can be distinguished among the lanthanides by its unique ability to be oxidized to the +4 state in aqueous solution. It is the most common of the lanthanides, followed by neodymium, lanthanum, and praseodymium. It is the 25th-most abundant element, making up 66 ppm of the Ear ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fluorine
Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reactive, as it reacts with all other elements except for the light inert gases. Among the elements, fluorine ranks 24th in universal abundance and 13th in terrestrial abundance. Fluorite, the primary mineral source of fluorine which gave the element its name, was first described in 1529; as it was added to metal ores to lower their melting points for smelting, the Latin verb meaning 'flow' gave the mineral its name. Proposed as an element in 1810, fluorine proved difficult and dangerous to separate from its compounds, and several early experimenters died or sustained injuries from their attempts. Only in 1886 did French chemist Henri Moissan isolate elemental fluorine using low-temperature electrolysis, a process still employed for modern pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Manganese
Manganese is a chemical element with the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. Manganese is a transition metal with a multifaceted array of industrial alloy uses, particularly in stainless steels. It improves strength, workability, and resistance to wear. Manganese oxide is used as an oxidising agent; as a rubber additive; and in glass making, fertilisers, and ceramics. Manganese sulfate can be used as a fungicide. Manganese is also an essential human dietary element, important in macronutrient metabolism, bone formation, and free radical defense systems. It is a critical component in dozens of proteins and enzymes. It is found mostly in the bones, but also the liver, kidneys, and brain. In the human brain, the manganese is bound to manganese metalloproteins, most notably glutamine synthetase in astrocytes. Manganese was first isolated in 1774. It is familiar in the laboratory in the form of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Villiaumite
Villiaumite is a rare halide mineral composed of sodium fluoride, Na F. It is very soluble in water and some specimens fluoresce under long and short wave ultraviolet light. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and is usually red, pink, or orange in color. It is toxic to humans. The red color is due to a broad absorption peaking at 512 nm. It is a result of radiation damage to the crystal. Occurrence It occurs in nepheline syenite intrusives and in nepheline syenite pegmatites. It occurs associated with aegirine, sodalite, nepheline, neptunite, lamprophyllite, pectolite, serandite, eudialyte, ussingite, chkalovite and zeolites. It has been reported from Minas Gerais, Brazil; Mont Saint-Hilaire, Quebec, Canada; the Ilimaussaq complex of Greenland; Lake Magadi, Kenya; Windhoek District, Namibia; the Fen Complex, Telemark, Norway; the Khibiny and Lovozero Massifs, Kola Peninsula, Russia; Porphyry Mountain, Boulder County, Colorado and Point of Rocks Mesa, Colfax County, New Mexi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
