Fluorapatite
- Formerly apatite - (CaF )
Fluorapatite (formerly apatite - (CaF ) ) is a very common and rock forming mineral from the mineral class of " phosphates, arsenates and vanadates " and of all the most common apatites. It crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system with the chemical composition Ca5 [ F | (PO 4) 3] and is found both in the form of different colored crystals and large, bulky mineral aggregate as well as an ingredient in teeth.
Special Features
Especially when manganese-containing varieties show under UV light and after heating as well as fluorescence or phosphorescence thermoluminescence.
Before the blowpipe the mineral is very difficult to melt and forms a colorless, glassy bead. The adding of a phosphorus salt on cooling in unsaturated solution unclear, faceted and in complete saturation of a milk-white pearl. Add soda it swells with effervescence and moistened with sulfuric acid, it colors the Lötrohrflamme greenish. Furthermore fluorapatite is soluble in hydrochloric and nitric acids.
Etymology and history
The name fluorapatite has one hand on his close kinship and chemical similarity with the other members of the apatite group back and the other hand on the relevant in chemical composition element fluorine.
Was named the mineral in 1827 by Gustav Rose ( 1798-1873 ). As the type locality Greifensteine apply to Ehrenfriedersdorf in the Saxon Erzgebirge.
Classification
In the now outdated but still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz fluorapatite belonged to the mineral class of " phosphates, arsenates, vanadates, " and then to the Department of " water clear phosphates with foreign anions ", where he along with Belovit - (Ce), Belovit - ( La), carbonate - fluorapatite ( carbonate - apatite - (CaF ) ), carbonate - hydroxyapatite ( carbonate - apatite - ( CaOH ) ), chlorine apatite ( apatite - (CaCl ) ), Fermorit, Fluorcaphit, Hedyphan, hydroxyapatite ( apatite - ( CaOH ) ), Johnbaumit, Klinomimetesit, Kuannersuit - (Ce), Mimetite, Morelandit, pyromorphite, strontium apatite, Svabit, Turneaureit and Vanadinit the independent " apatite - pyromorphite group " with the system no. VII/B.39 formed.
The 9th edition used since 2001 and valid by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) of the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the fluorapatite also in the class of " phosphates, arsenates, vanadates, " and then in the Department of " Phosphates, etc., with additional anions, without a H2O ". This division, however, is further divided according to the size of the involved cations and their molar ratio of phosphate, arsenate or vanadate complex RO 4, so that the mineral according to its composition in the subsection "With only large cations, (OH, etc.): RO 4 = 0.33: 1 is to find " where it together with Alforsit, Belovit - (Ce), Belovit - ( La), carbonate - fluorapatite, carbonate - hydroxyapatite, chloroapatite, Fluorstrophit, hydroxyapatite, hydroxyapatite -M, Deloneit - (Ce), Fermorit, Fluorcaphit, Hedyphan, hydroxyl Pyromorphit, Johnbaumit, Klinomimetesit, Kuannersuit - (Ce), Mimetite, Morelandit, Phosphohedyphane, pyromorphite, Svabit, Turneaureit, Vanadinit the " apatite - pyromorphite group " with the system No.. 8.BN.05 forms.
The mainly common in English-speaking classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the fluorapatite in the class of " phosphates, arsenates, vanadates, " and then in the Department of " water clear phosphates, etc., with hydroxyl or halogen" one. Here he is with chlorine apatite, hydroxyapatite, carbonate fluorapatite, carbonate - hydroxyapatite, Belovit - (Ce), Belovit - (La), Kuannersuit - (Ce), Fluorstrophit, Fluorcaphit, Deloneit - (Ce), Stronadelphit, Fluorphosphohedyphan and Phosphohedyphane in the " apatite group " with the system no. 41.08.01 found within the sub-division of " water clear phosphates, etc., with hydroxyl or halogen with (A ) 5 ( XO4 ) 3Zq ".
Education and Locations
Fluorapatite is one of the most common, rock-forming minerals and phosphate is found as an accessory ingredient in most igneous rocks and as an important part of syenites, alkaline rocks, carbonatites and granitic pegmatites. Also in metamorphic rocks such as marble and skarn and hydrothermal veins in tin deposits fluorapatite can be found. Accompanying minerals include calcite, Chondrodite, diopside, forsterite, magnetite, phlogopite and scapolite.
Overall, fluorapatite so far (as of 2011) are detected at around 2120 localities. Apart from its type locality Greifensteine the mineral still occurred in Germany in other places in the Ore Mountains, Upper Lusatia and in Vogtland in Saxony and in Penig; at several places in the Black Forest, on the Emperor chair and Katzenbuckel in Baden- Württemberg; in many places in Franconia, Bavarian Forest and the Upper Palatinate and the Ries in Bavaria; Sauerland and Seven Mountains in North Rhine- Westphalia; in many places in the Eifel and Hunsrück on, in the Taunus and the Westerwald Rhineland -Palatinate as well as some sites in Hesse, Lower Saxony, Saarland, Saxony -Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein and Thuringia.
In Austria, the mineral among others at Pauliberg in Burgenland; Gurktal Alps in Carinthia; the Hohe Tauern Carinthia to Salzburg; at Statzendorf, Rossatz - Arnsdorf and in the Waldviertel in Lower Austria; the Radstadt Tauern and the District Tamsweg in Salzburg; at some sites of Styria, Tyrol and Upper Austria as well as in the Bregenzerwald in Vorarlberg.
In Switzerland, fluorapatite found mainly in the cantons of Graubünden, Ticino, Uri and Wallis. Noteworthy due to extraordinary discoveries of fluorapatite is here, among other Fiesch in the Swiss canton of Valais, where crystals up to 10 cm in diameter were revealed.
Large deposits of a moderate fluorapatite were known on the Russian Kola Peninsula, from which crystal blocks with up to 300 kg in weight were promoted.
More Locations are Afghanistan, Egypt, Antarctica, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, China, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Finland, France, Gabon, Greenland, Guinea, India, Iran, Israel, Italy, Japan, Yemen, Jordan, Cambodia, Canada, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Colombia, South and North Korea, Libya, Madagascar, Morocco, Mexico, Mongolia, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Palestine, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Rwanda, Romania, Russia, Zambia, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Senegal, Zimbabwe, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uganda, Hungary, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, the United Kingdom ( UK), the United States of America ( USA) and Vietnam.
Even in rock samples of the Pacific Ocean, more specifically from the seabed at the southern coast of California and outside the earth on the moon near the land bases of Luna 24, Apollo 11 and Apollo 14 fluorapatite could be detected.
Biological synthesis
In tooth enamel fluorapatite is created, for example, when hydroxyapatite, which is also part of human teeth with fluoride-containing materials (eg, fluoride toothpastes ) is treated; it is acid resistant than hydroxyapatite.
Reaction equation:
Crystal structure
Fluorapatite crystallized hexagonal space group P63 / m ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 176) with the lattice parameters a = 9.40 Å and c = 6.88 Å and two formula units per unit cell.