Aluminosilicate

Aluminosilicates or aluminosilicates, as aluminosilicates or aluminosilicates known (both terms are often used interchangeably in German and also in English, since they are from the British English term for aluminum - aluminum - and the corresponding American- English term - aluminum - derived ) are the collective names for minerals and chemical compounds from the group of silicates, the build up of the basic building blocks SiO 4 tetrahedron and AlO 4 tetrahedra. They are among the most important components of the earth's crust.

A silicon atom and an aluminum atom is thus surrounded by four oxygen atoms. This tetrahedron always share the oxygen atoms (ie Si -O- Al bonds ). Computationally aluminosilicates contain SiO2 and Al2O3. The Al: Si ratio can not exceed the value 1. For aluminosilicates applies the Löwenstein rule, are according to the AlO 4 tetrahedra never directly linked. The module Al -O-Al is avoided. Pure aluminates are found in nature only extremely rare. Aluminum can here similar chemically behave like silicon. Done When installing aluminum ( Al3 instead of Si4 ) in the mineral lattice must charge compensation by incorporation of other positively charged ions ( cations). Aluminosilicates are eg feldspars, feldspar and zeolites such as zeolite A or sodalite.

In contrast, hot silicates with octahedrally coordinated aluminum aluminum silicates. Examples are andalusite, kyanite and sillimanite.

• Substance Group
• Silicate and germanate