Ilmenite
- Menaccanit
- Titan iron
Ilmenite, also known as titanium iron, titanium, iron ore or its synonym Menaccanit, is a commonly occurring mineral from the mineral class of " oxides and hydroxides ". It crystallizes in the trigonal crystal system with the chemical composition FeTiO3 and usually develops dicktafelige crystals, but also granular to massive aggregates in black to steel-gray color and black stroke color.
Ilmenite is formally a mixture with a share of 48 % iron (II ) oxide and 52% titanium dioxide and looks very similar to magnetite. It is often contaminated with impurities of hematite, which form at high temperature solid solutions.
Etymology and history
Was first discovered the mineral in the valley Menaccan in Cornwall (England) and described in 1791 by William Gregor. Indicates there was (also Menachanit, Menakanit or Menakan ) initially after its place of discovery as Menaccanit.
The valid today received the mineral ilmenite name in 1827 by Adolph Theodor Kupffer ( 1799-1865 ), who stated after analyzing a product originating from the mountain Ilmen in Ilmengebirge in the southern Urals mineral which was this no titanite as previously assumed, but a new connection.
Classification
In the now outdated but still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz the ilmenite belonged to the mineral class of " oxides and hydroxides " and then to the Department of " oxides with the molar ratio of metal: oxygen = 2: 3", where he was named the " Ilmenitgruppe " with the system number. Formed IV/C.05 and the other members Akimotoit, Brizziit, Ecandrewsit, Geikielith, Melanostibit and Pyrophanite.
The 9th edition used since 2001, valid and of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) of the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the ilmenite in the class of " oxides and hydroxides " and then in the Advanced section of the " oxide with the molar ratio of metal: oxygen = 2: 3, 3: 5 and comparable " one. This division, however, is further divided according to the size of the cations involved, so that the mineral is found according to its composition in the subsection "With medium-sized cations ," where, along with Auroantimonat, Brizziit, corundum, Ecandrewsit, eskolaite, Geikielit, hematite Karelianit, Melanostibit, Pyrophanite and Romanit the " Korundgruppe " with the system no. 4.CB.05 forms.
The mainly common in English-speaking classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the ilmenite in the class of " oxides and hydroxides " and there in the department of " oxides ". Here he is as the namesake of the " Ilmenitgruppe " with the system no. To find 04:03:05 and the other members Geikielith, Pyrophanite, Ecundrewsit, Melanostibit, Brizziit III and Akimotoit within the sub-division of "simple oxides with a cation charge of 3 ( A2O3 ) ".
Modifications and varieties
Iserin is an ilmenite variety that was first found in the form of loose, rolled grains on the Iserwiese near the village of Jizerka in the Czech Republic.
Education and Locations
Ilmenite occurs as a component of igneous rocks such as gabbro and diorite and, next times. Well as in quartz veins and isolated in metamorphic rocks As weathering resistant mineral it is deposited together with magnetite and rutile as so-called soap in river sands.
Ilmenite is very often the dominant titanium phase in the amphibolites because its stability field extends to very high temperatures. At higher pressures, the mineral rutile is found.
Overall, ilmenite so far (as of 2011) are detected at around 3400 localities. In addition to his current as type locality archaeological site on the mountain Ilmen the mineral still occurred in Russia in many other places in Siberia, the Far Eastern Republic, in the Northern Caucasus, North-West Russia and in the Urals.
Noteworthy due to exceptional Ilmenitfunde among other Girardville in the Canadian province of Quebec, where ilmenite crystals were discovered by up to 15 cm in size. In the Norwegian municipalities Arendal and Kragerö were up to 12 cm large crystals. The Hauge also located in Norway i Dalane also one of the most important deposits of Europe. From Miass in the Urals crystal finds were known by 10 cm in size and the Swiss Maderanertal is known for its similar to the Hämatitrosen Ilmenitkristalle in rosette form. Ilmenitrosen find, however, on other sites wied eg in the pit Buckwheat Franklin (New Jersey) in the United States (U.S.).
In Germany, the mineral, among others in the Black Forest, at the Kaiser Chair in Kraichgau and the Odenwald Baden -Württemberg was; im Fichtelgebirge, in the Swabian-Franconian Forest mountains, in the Spessart, in the Bavarian Forest and the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria; in the Odenwald and the Vogelsberg mountains in Hesse; in Cuxhaven, Güntersen and Bad Harzburg in Lower Saxony; in the Seven Mountains in North Rhine -Westphalia; in the Eifel area in Rhineland -Palatinate; at Orscholz and iron / Nohfelden in Saarland; in the Ore Mountains, Upper Lusatia and in Vogtland in Saxony; in Barmstedt and Niendorf / Lübeck - Moisling in Schleswig-Holstein and near Gera in Thuringia and the Thuringian Forest.
In Austria, ilmenite found among others at Pauliberg and the District Oberwart in Burgenland; in many places in Carinthia and Styria; in the cider district in the Waldviertel and Spitz in Lower Austria; in many places in the Hohe Tauern in Salzburg; in North and East Tyrol and in Schärding and Plöcking in Upper Austria.
In Switzerland, the mineral was except in Maderanertal still found in several places in the cantons of Grisons, Ticino and Valais and in Gadmental and the community Guttannen in the canton of Bern, in Entlebuch in the canton of Lucerne.
Other localities lie, you still in Afghanistan, Algeria, Angola, East Antarctica, Argentina, Armenia, Ethiopia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Ecuador, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, the French West Indies island of Martinique, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Greenland, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, on the Channel Island of jersey, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Korea, Cuba, Lesotho, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Malaysia, Mauritania, Morocco, Macedonia, Mexico, Mongolia, Montserrat, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Zambia, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Swaziland, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Chad, Czech Republic, Turkey, Uganda, Ukraine, Hungary, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, the United Kingdom ( UK), the United States of America ( USA) and in Vietnam.
Even in rock samples from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, the Southwest Indian ridge and the Southern California coast and outside the earth on the moon near the land bases of Apollo 11, 14 and 17 and Luna 16 and 20 ilmenite could be detected.
Crystal structure
Ilmenite crystallized in the trigonal space group R3 ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 148) with the lattice parameters a = 5.09 Å and c = 14.09 Å and 6 formula units per unit cell.
Use
Ilmenite is the most important titanium mineral. In the titanium dioxide production around 47% of global demand was met by ilmenite in 2011. From Canada, Australia and South Africa come two thirds of the total annual production of this metal.
Scientists around the geologist James B. Garvin 's Goddard Space Flight Center suggests that ilmenite also occurs on the moon, and hope to use it there for the production of oxygen for an eventual lunar base. In fact, were found on Infrarotaufnamen by the Hubble Space Telescope from 2005 in the lunar region around the crater Aristarchus strong evidence for ilmenite.
Ilmenite is one of the main starting materials for the production of titanium dioxide by the chloride process, both as well as according to the sulphate process.