Lecture 5 Oxides Hydroxides Carbonates and Phosphates
Lecture 5 Oxides Hydroxides Carbonates and Phosphates
Lecture 5 Oxides Hydroxides Carbonates and Phosphates
TiO2
Spinel Group (XY2O4)
e.g Magnetite Fe+2Fe+32O4
Gem-quality
Spinels
Other Common Oxides in color
Rutile (TiO2) Corundum (Al2O3)
Hardness=9
Rutile needles in
Quartz
Mass of botryoidal
Pyrolusite
Pyrolusite dendrites Cyclic twinning
on surface in Chrysoberyl
Hydroxides
Pronunciations:
Gear-tight
Goethite FeO(OH)
Go-eth-thite Bauxite Al-hydroxide*
Gurrr-tite
Aragonite Calcite
(High-P) Orthorhombic (Low-P - Hexagonal)
Calcite
Aragonite Group
Carbonate minerals with a single divalent cation of radius > 1.00 Å. With
increasing radius the species are Aragonite (CaCO3), Strontianite (SrCO3),
Cerussite (PbCO3), and Witherite (BaCO3). Aragonite is denser than calcite,
and is the high P polymorph. It crystallizes at ambient conditions and persists
metastably for millions of years. The orthorhombic structure is nearly
hexagonal with c as the unique axis.
Dolomite CaMg(CO3)2
Forms during seasonal high tides that flood limestone (calcite) islands
with seawater. Mg++ in the seawater replaces some of the Calcium ions.
Rhodochrosite – MnCO3
Borates
Kernite – Na2B4O6(OH)2·3H2O
H – 3; SG – 1.95
Borax - Na2B4O5(OH)4·8H2O
H – 2-2.5; SG – 1.7
Ulexite – NaCaB5O6(OH)6·5H2O
H – 1-2.5; SG – 1.96
Tungstates & Molybdates
Wolframite – (Fe,Mn)WO4
SG: 7-7.5
Scheelite – CaWO4
SG: ~6
Wulfenite – PbMoO4
SG: 6.8
Phosphates
Apatite – Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)
prismatic hexagonal crystals
common in igneous rocks and
hydrothermal deposits
- variable colors “the deceiver”
Other Common Phosphates
Monazite – (Ce,La,Y,Th)PO4
Ore mineral for Rare Earth Elements
Useful mineral in U-Pb and Th age dating
Wavellite – Al3(PO4)2(OH)3·5H2O
Radiating globular aggregates
Turquoise –
CuAl6(PO4)4(OH)8·5H2O