Fluorite
Fluorite (forbye cried fluorspar) is a halide mineral componed o calcium fluoride, CaF2. It is an isometric mineral wi a cubic habit, tho octahedral an mair complex isometric furms arenae uncommon.
| Fluorite | |
|---|---|
 Deep green isolated fluorite crystal shawin cubic an octahedral faces, set on a micaceous matrix, frae Erongo Mountain, Erongo Region, Namibie (overall size: 50 mm x 27 mm, crystal size: 19 mm wide, 30 g) | |
| General | |
| Category | Halide mineral |
| Formula (repeatin unit) | CaF2 |
| Strunz clessification | 03.AB.25 |
| Creestal seestem | Isometric, cF12, SpaceGroup Fm3m, No. 225 |
| Space group | Isometric H–M Symbol 4/m 3 2/m |
| Unit cell | a = 5.4626 Å; Z=4 |
| Identification | |
| Colour | Colourless, white, purpie, blae, green, yellae, orange, reid, pink, broun, blaeish black; commonly zoned; can be ony colour o the spectrum. |
| Creestal habit | Occurs as weel-formed coarse sized crystals an nodular, botryoidal, rarely columnar or fibrous; granular, massive |
| Twinnin | Common on {111}, interpenetrant, flattened |
| Cleavage | Octahedral, perfect on {111}, pairtin on {011} |
| Fractur | Subconchoidal tae uneven |
| Tenacity | Brickle |
| Mohs scale haurdness | 4 (definin mineral) |
| Skinkle | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Skyre tae leamin |
| Speceefic gravity | 3.175–3.184; tae 3.56 gif heich in rare-yird elements |
| Optical properties | Isotropic; waik anomalous anisotropism |
| Refractive index | 1.433–1.448 |
| Fusibility | 3 |
| Ither chairacteristics | whiles phosphoresces whan heatit or scartit. Ither varieties fluoresce |
| References | [1][2][3][4] |
Fluorite is a colourful mineral, baith in veesible an ultraviolet licht, an the stane haes ornamental an lapidary uses. Industrially, fluorite is uised as a flux for smeltin, an in the production o certaint glasses an enamels. The purest grades o fluorite is a soorce o fluoride for hydrofluoric acid manufactur, that is the intermediate soorce o maist fluorine-containin fine chemicals. Optically clear transparent fluorite lenses hae law dispersion, sae lenses made frae it exhibit less chromatic aberration, makkin thaim valuable in microscopes an telescopes. Fluorite optics can be uised in the far-ultraviolet range an aw, whaur conventional glesses is too absorbent tae uise.
References
eedit- ↑ Anthony, John W.; Bideaux, Richard A.; Bladh, Kenneth W. and Nichols, Monte C. (ed.). "Fluorite". Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF). III (Halides, Hydroxides, Oxides). Chantilly, VA, US: Mineralogical Society of America. ISBN 0962209724. Retrieved 5 December 2011.CS1 maint: multiple names: eeditors leet (link)
- ↑ Fluorite. Mindat.org
- ↑ Fluorite. Webmineral.com
- ↑ Hurlbut, Cornelius S.; Klein, Cornelis, 1985, Manual of Mineralogy, pp. 324–325, 20th ed., ISBN 0-471-80580-7