The borate minerals are
mineral
In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid chemical compound with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. ...
s which contain a
borate
A borate is any of several boron oxyanions, negative ions consisting of boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt with such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and disodium tetraborate . The name a ...
anion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...
group. The borate (BO
3) units may be
polymer
A polymer (; Greek ''poly-'', "many" + '' -mer'', "part")
is a substance or material consisting of very large molecules called macromolecules, composed of many repeating subunits. Due to their broad spectrum of properties, both synthetic and ...
ised similar to the SiO
4 unit of the
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 consi ...
class. This results in B
2O
5, B
3O
6, B
2O
4 anions as well as more complex structures which include
hydroxide
Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water ...
or
halogen anions.
[Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius Hurlbut, Jr., ''Manual of Mineralogy'', Wiley, 20th ed., 1985 pp. 343 - 347 ] The
4">(O,OH)4sup>− anion exists as well.
Many borate minerals, such as
borax
Borax is a salt (chemistry), salt (ionic compound), a hydration (chemistry), hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a base (chemistry), basic aqueo ...
,
colemanite
Colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) or (CaB3O4(OH)3·H2O) is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine environments. Colemanite is a secondary mineral that forms by alteration of borax and ulexite.
It was first described ...
, and
ulexite, are
salts
In chemistry, a salt is a chemical compound consisting of an ionic assembly of positively charged cations and negatively charged anions, which results in a compound with no net electric charge. A common example is table salt, with positively ...
: soft, readily soluble, and found in
evaporite
An evaporite () is a water- soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as oce ...
contexts. However, some, such as
boracite, are hard and resistant to weathering, more similar to the
silicates
In chemistry, a silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name i ...
.
There are over 100 different borate minerals.
[Webmineral.Com]
Strunz group V/G - V/L Borate minerals include:
*
Kernite
Kernite, also known as rasorite, is a hydrated sodium borate hydroxide mineral with formula . It is a colorless to white mineral crystallizing in the monoclinic crystal system typically occurring as prismatic to acicular crystals or granular ...
Na
2B
4O
6(OH)
2·3H
2O
*
Borax
Borax is a salt (chemistry), salt (ionic compound), a hydration (chemistry), hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a base (chemistry), basic aqueo ...
Na
2B
4O
5(OH)
4·8H
2O
*
Ulexite NaCaB
5O
6(OH)
6·5H
2O
*
Colemanite
Colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) or (CaB3O4(OH)3·H2O) is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine environments. Colemanite is a secondary mineral that forms by alteration of borax and ulexite.
It was first described ...
CaB
3O
4(OH)
3·H
2O
*
Boracite Mg
3B
7O
13Cl
*
Painite CaZrAl
9O
15(BO
3)
Nickel–Strunz Classification -06- Borates
IMA-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses it to modify the
Classification of Nickel–Strunz (
mindat.org
Mindat.org is a non-commercial online database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogy, mineralogical reference website on the Internet. It is used by professional mineralogists, geologists, and amateur mineral collecting, mi ...
, 10 ed, pending publication). Note that although Nickel–Strunz division letters were traditionally based on the number of boron atoms in a mineral's chemical formula (06.A are monoborates, 06.B are diborates, etc.), the IMA has reclassified borate minerals based on the polymerisation of the borate anion.
;Abbreviations:
* ''REE'':
rare-earth element
The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silv ...
(Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu)
* ''PGE'':
platinum-group element (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt)
* ''*'' : discredited (IMA/CNMNC status)
* ''?'' : questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status)
Regarding
03.C Aluminofluorides, 06 Borates,
08 Vanadates (04.H V
,6/sup> Vanadates), 09 Silicates:
* ''neso-'': insular (from Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
, "island")
* ''soro-'': grouped (from Greek , "heap, pile, mound")
* ''cyclo-'': rings of (from Greek , "circle")
* ''ino-'': chained (from Greek , "fibre", rom Ancient Greek
Rom, or ROM may refer to:
Biomechanics and medicine
* Risk of mortality, a medical classification to estimate the likelihood of death for a patient
* Rupture of membranes, a term used during pregnancy to describe a rupture of the amniotic sac
* ...
* ''phyllo-'': sheets of (from Greek , "leaf")
* ''tekto-'': three-dimensional framework (from Greek , "of building")
;Nickel–Strunz code scheme ''NN.XY.##x'':
* ''NN'': Nickel–Strunz mineral class number
* ''X'': Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter
* ''Y'': Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter
* ''##x'': Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number; ''x'' an add-on letter
Class: borates
* 06. Alfredstelznerite
* 06.A Monoborates
** 06.AA BO3, without additional anions; 1(D): 05 Sassolite
Sassolite is a borate mineral, specifically the mineral form of boric acid. It is usually white to gray, and colourless in transmitted light. It can also take on a yellow colour from sulfur impurities, or brown from iron oxides.
History and occ ...
; 15 Nordenskioldine, 15 Tusionite
Tusionite is a rare colorless to transparent to translucent yellow brown trigonal borate mineral with chemical formula: MnSn(BO3)2. The mineral is composed of 18.86% manganese, 40.76% tin, 7.42% boron, and 32.96% oxygen. It is a late stage hydro ...
; 35 Jimboite, 35 Kotoite; 40 Takedaite
** 06.AB BO3, with additional anions; 1(D) + OH, etc.: 05 Hambergite
Hambergite (Be2BO3OH) is a beryllium borate mineral named after Swedish explorer and mineralogist Axel Hamberg (1863–1933). The mineral occurs as white or colorless orthorhombic crystals.
Occurrence
Hambergite occurs in beryllium bearing gra ...
, 10 Berborite
Berborite is a beryllium borate mineral with the chemical formula Be2(BO3)(OH,F)·(H2O). It is colorless and leaves a white streak. Its crystals are hexagonal to pyramidal. It is transparent and has vitreous luster. It is not radioactive. Berborite ...
, 15 Jeremejevite
Jeremejevite is an aluminium borate mineral with variable fluoride and hydroxide ions. Its chemical formula is . It is considered as one of the rarest, thus one of the most expensive stones. For nearly a century, it was considered as one of the ra ...
; 20 Warwickite
Warwickite is an iron magnesium titanium borate mineral with the chemical formula ''or'' . It occurs as brown to black prismatic orthorhombic crystals which are vitreous and transparent. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 to 4 and a specific gravity of 3 ...
, 20 Yuanfuliite Yuanfuliite is a black submetal mineral. The mineral is named after the geologist Yuan Fuli.
It can be found in places like Russia, Sakha Republic, and Siberia
Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) ...
; 25 Karlite
Karlite (kar'-lite) is a silky white to light green orthorhombic borate mineral, not to be confused with tremolite-actinolite. It has a general formula of Mg7(BO3)3(OH)4Cl. Karlite is named in honor of Franz Karl (1918–1972), professor of mine ...
; 30 Azoproite, 30 Bonaccordite
Bonaccordite is a rare mineral discovered in 1974. Its chemical formula is Ni2FeBO5 and it is a mineral of the ludwigite group. It usually crystallizes in long, cylindrical prisms that form within another source. It is named after the area of Bon ...
, 30 Fredrikssonite, 30 Ludwigite, 30 Vonsenite; 35 Pinakiolite; 40 Blatterite, 40 Orthopinakiolite, 40 Takeuchiite, 40 Chestermanite; 45 Hulsite, 45 Magnesiohulsite, 45 Aluminomagnesiohulsite; 50 Hydroxylborite, 50 Fluoborite
Fluoborite has a chemical formula of Mg3(BO3)(F,OH)3. Its name comes from its main chemical components, FLUOrine and BORon. It was first described in 1926.
Fluoborite's crystal system is hexagonal, meaning it has one six-fold axis of rotation. It ...
; 55 Shabynite, 55 Wightmanite; 60 Gaudefroyite, 65 Sakhaite, 70 Harkerite; 75 IMA2008-060, 75 Pertsevite; 80 Jacquesdietrichite, 85 Painite
** 06.AC B(O,OH)4, without and with additional anions; 1(T), 1(T)+OH, etc.: 05 Sinhalite
Sinhalite is a borate
A borate is any of several boron oxyanions, negative ions consisting of boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt with such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and disodium tetrab ...
; 10 Pseudosinhalite; 15 Béhierite, 15 Schiavinatoite; 20 Frolovite; 25 Hexahydroborite; 30 Henmilite; 35 Bandylite; 40 Teepleite; 45 Moydite-(Y); 50 Carboborite; 55 Sulfoborite; 60 Luneburgite; 65 Seamanite
Seamanite, named for discoverer Arthur E. Seaman, is a rare manganese boron phosphate mineral with formula Mn3 (OH)4PO4)(OH)2. The yellow to pink mineral occurs as small, needle-shaped crystals. It was first discovered in 1917 from a mine in Iron ...
; 70 Cahnite
* 06.H Unclassified Borates
** 06.HA Unclassified borates: 05 Chelkarite; 10 Braitschite-(Ce); 15 Satimolite; 20 Iquiqueite; 25 Wardsmithite; 30 Korzhinskite; 35 Halurgite; 40 Ekaterinite; 45 Vitimite; 50 Canavesite
Canavesite, Mg2(HBO3)(CO3)∙5H2O, is a rare carboborate mineral from the abandoned Brosso mine in Italy. Canavesite is a secondary mineral that occurs due to the weathering of ludwigite-magnetite skarn on the surface of mine walls. The physical ...
; 55 Qilianshanite
Subclass: nesoborates
* 06.BA Neso-diborates with double triangles B2(O,OH)5; 2(2D); 2(2D) + OH, etc.: 05 Suanite; 10 Clinokurchatovite, 10 Kurchatovite; 15 Sussexite
Sussexite is a manganese borate mineral Mn B O2( O H). Crystals are monoclinic prismatic and typically fibrous in occurrence. Colour is white, pink, yellowish white with a pearly lustre. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 and a specific gravity of ...
, 15 Szaibelyite; 20 Wiserite
* 06.BB Neso-diborates with double tetrahedra B2O(OH)6; 2(2T): 05 Pinnoite; 10 Pentahydroborite
* 06.CA Neso-triborates: 10 Ameghinite; 15 Inderite
Inderite, also known as Lesserite, is a mineral that was named after its source, the Inder lake, near the Inder Mountains in Kazakhstan. The samples were described in English by the soviet mineralogist Boldyreva in 1937. It is a rare secondary mi ...
; 20 Kurnakovite
Kurnakovite is a hydrated borate of magnesium with the chemical composition MgB3O3(OH)5·5H2O. It is a member of the inderite group and is a triclinic dimorph of the monoclinic inderite.
Discovery and occurrence
Kurnakovite, was first described ...
; 25 Inderborite; 30 Meyerhofferite
Meyerhofferite is a hydrated borate mineral of calcium, with the chemical formula Ca2B6O6(OH)10·2H2O, CaB3O3(OH)5·H2O or Ca2(H3B3O7)2·4H2O. It occurs principally as an alteration product of inyoite, another borate mineral.
Natural meyerhoffer ...
; 35 Inyoite
Inyoite, named after Inyo County, California, where it was discovered in 1914, is a colourless monoclinic mineral. It turns white on dehydration. Its chemical formula is Ca(HBO)(OH)·4HO or CaB3O3(OH)5·4H2O. Associated minerals include priceite, ...
; 40 Solongoite; 45 Peprossiite-(Ce); 50 Nifontovite; 55 Olshanskyite
* 06.DA Neso-tetraborates: 10 Borax
Borax is a salt (chemistry), salt (ionic compound), a hydration (chemistry), hydrated borate of sodium, with chemical formula often written . It is a colorless crystalline solid, that dissolves in water to make a base (chemistry), basic aqueo ...
; 15 Tincalconite
Tincalconite is a hydrous sodium borate mineral closely related to borax, and is a secondary mineral that forms as a dehydration product of borax. Its formula is Na2 B4 O7·5 H2O or Na2 H)4·3H2O.
Tincalconite typically occurs as a fine grain ...
; 20 Hungchaoite; 25 Fedorovskite, 25 Roweite; 30 Hydrochlorborite; 35 Uralborite; 40 Numanoite, 40 Borcarite; 60 Fontarnauite
Fontarnauite is a relatively recently described, rare sulfate, borate mineral with the chemical formula . It is found in an evaporite boron deposit. It coexists with other evaporite boron minerals, especially probertite. It is monoclinic, crys ...
* 06.EA Neso-pentaborates: 05 Sborgite
Sborgite is a sodium borate mineral with formula Na 5O6(OH)4·3H2O. The formula can be written as the oxide formulation, Na2O.5B2O3.10H2O. Sometimes called sodium pentaborate pentahydrate it contains the pentaborate anion, (B5O6(OH)4)−.
S ...
; 10 Ramanite-(Rb), 10 Ramanite-(Cs), 10 Santite; 15 Ammonioborite; 25 Ulexite
* 06.FA Neso-hexaborates: 05 Aksaite
Aksaite ( Mg html" ;"title="boron.html" ;"title="/nowiki>boron">B6oxygen">O7( OH)6·2 H2O) is a mineral">hydroxide">OH)6·2hydrogen">H2O) is a hydrogen">H2O) is a mineral">hydroxide">OH)6·2hydrogen">H2O) is a mineral found in Kazakhstan.
Etymology ...
; 10 Mcallisterite; 15 Admontite; 20 Rivadavite; 25 Teruggite
Teruggite is a mineral with the chemical formula Ca4 Mg As2 B12 O22(O H)12·12 H2O. It is colorless. Its crystals are monoclinic prismatic. It is transparent. It is not radioactive. It has vitreous luster. Teruggite is rated 2.5 on the Mohs Scale ...
Subclass: inoborates
* 06.BC Ino-diborates with triangles and/or tetrahedra: 10 Calciborite
Calciborite, CaB2O4, is a rare calcium borate mineral.
It was first described in 1955 in the Novofrolovskoye copper–boron deposit, near Krasnoturinsk, Turinsk district, Northern Ural Mountains, Russia. It occurs in a skarn deposit formed in lime ...
, 10 Aldzhanite*; 15 Vimsite; 20 Sibirskite, 20 Parasibirskite
* 06.CB Ino-triborates: 10 Colemanite
Colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) or (CaB3O4(OH)3·H2O) is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine environments. Colemanite is a secondary mineral that forms by alteration of borax and ulexite.
It was first described ...
; 15 Hydroboracite; 20 Howlite; 25 Jarandolite
* 06.DB Ino-tetraborates: 05 Kernite
Kernite, also known as rasorite, is a hydrated sodium borate hydroxide mineral with formula . It is a colorless to white mineral crystallizing in the monoclinic crystal system typically occurring as prismatic to acicular crystals or granular ...
* 06.EB Ino-pentaborates: 05 Larderellite; 10 Ezcurrite; 15 Probertite; 20 Tertschite; 25 Priceite
Priceite is a white borate mineral. The mineral has been found in places such as Chetco, Oregon, Death Valley, and northwestern Turkey. In 1862 small amounts of this mineral were mined from Chetco, Oregon.
Priceite is rare and has only been ...
* 06.FB Ino-hexaborates: 05 Aristarainite; 10 Kaliborite
Subclass: phylloborates
* 06.CC Phyllo-triborates: 05 Johachidolite
* 06.EC Phyllo-pentaborates: 05 Biringuccite, 05 Nasinite; 10 Gowerite; 15 Veatchite
Veatchite is an unusual strontium borate, with the chemical formula Sr2B11O16(OH)5·H2O. There are two known polytypes, veatchite-A and veatchite-p.Grice J D, Pring A (2012) Veatchite: structural relationships of the three polytypes, American Min ...
, 15 Veatchite-A, 15 Veatchite-p; 20 Volkovskite; 25 Tuzlaite; 30 Heidornite; 35 Brianroulstonite
* 06.FC Phyllo-hexaborates: 05 Nobleite, 05 Tunellite, 05 Balavinskite; 10 Strontioborite; 15 Ginorite, 15 Strontioginorite; 20 Fabianite
* 06.GB Phyllo-nonaborates, etc.: 05 Studenitsite
Studenitsite is a rare borate mineral with chemical formula of NaCa2 9O14(OH)4·2H2O.
Studenitsite has a vitreous luster, a Mohs hardness of 6 and color of light-dirty yellow. It is a monoclinic mineral and belongs to the space group P2/c.Jambor, ...
; 10 Penobsquisite; 15 Preobrazhenskite; 20 Walkerite
Subclass: tektoborates
* 06.BD Tektodiborates with tetrahedra: 05 Santarosaite
* 06.DD Tekto-tetraborates: 05 Diomignite
* 06.ED Tekto-pentaborates: 05 IMA2007-047, 05 Tyretskite, 05 Hilgardite, 05 Kurgantaite
* 06.GA Tekto-heptaborates: 05 Boracite, 05 Chambersite, 05 Ericaite; 10 Congolite, 10 Trembathite
* 06.GC Tekto-dodecaborates: 05 Rhodizite, 05 Londonite
* 06.GD Mega-tektoborates: 05 Ruitenbergite, 05 Pringleite; 10 Metaborite
See also
* Classification of minerals - Non-silicates
* Classification of minerals - Silicates
References
*
*
* Hr. Dr. Udo Neumann der Uni-Tuebingen
Systematik der Minerale
External links
*
{{Strunz