chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

the term chromite has been used in two contexts. Under

IUPAC The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

naming conventions, ''chromate(III)'' is preferred to ''chromite''. #For compounds containing an oxyanion of

chromium Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and hardne ...

oxidation state In chemistry, the oxidation state, or oxidation number, is the hypothetical charge of an atom if all of its bonds to different atoms were fully ionic. It describes the degree of oxidation (loss of electrons) of an atom in a chemical compound. C ...

3 #For other compounds of chromium(III) as a means of distinguishing a chemical species such as hexacyanochromite(III). r(CN)₆sup>3− from an analogous compound in which chromium is a different oxidation state. The mineral chromite is an

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion of oxygen, an O2– (molecular) ion. with oxygen in the oxidation state of −2. Most of the E ...

with empirical formula FeCr₂O₄. Structurally, it belongs to the spinel group. Magnesium can substitute for iron in variable amounts as it forms a solid solution with

magnesiochromite Chromite is a crystalline mineral composed primarily of iron(II) oxide and chromium(III) oxide compounds. It can be represented by the chemical formula of FeCr2O4. It is an oxide mineral belonging to the spinel group. The element magnesium can s ...

(MgCr₂O₄);.

Zincochromite Zincochromite is a zinc chromium oxide mineral with the formula ZnCr2O4. It is the zinc analogue of chromite, hence the name. It was first described in 1987 as an occurrence in a uranium deposit near Lake Onega, Russia. It has also been repor ...

is another example. The crystal structure of the acid, HCrO₂ has been determined by

neutron diffraction Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material. A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to o ...

. Chromites may be formed by reaction of chromium(III) oxide with a metal oxide: :Cr₂O₃ + MgO → MgCr₂O₄

References

Chromium(III) compounds Transition metal oxyanions Oxometallates {{inorganic-compound-stub