Bertossaite Mineral Data

Bertossaite Mineral Data +

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General Bertossaite Information

Chemical Formula:

Li2CaAl4(PO4)4(OH)4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 609.80 gm

Lithium 2.28 % Li 4.90 % Li₂O

Calcium 6.57 % Ca 9.20 % CaO

Aluminum 17.70 % Al 33.44 % Al₂O₃

Phosphorus 20.32 % P 46.55 % P₂O₅

Hydrogen 0.66 % H 5.91 % H₂O

Oxygen 52.47 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Li₂CaAl₄(PO₄)₄(OH)₄

Environment:

Ca analog of palermoite.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1966

Locality:

Buranga lithium pegmatite, Gatumba, Rwanda. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Antonio Bertossa, director of the Geological Survey of Rwanda.

Bertossaite Image

Images:

Bertossaite

Comments: Pale pinkish crystalline bertossaite with yellowish apatite and blue lazulite.
Location: Buranga Pegmatite, near Gatumba, Gisenyi, Rwanda. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Bertossaite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.7298:1:0.4596

Cell Dimensions:

a = 11.48, b = 15.73, c = 7.23, Z = 4; V = 1,305.60 Den(Calc)= 3.10

Crystal System:

OrthorhombicSpace Group: Imaa,Iaa2

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.056(1), 3.104(0.7), 3.286(0.7),

Physical Properties of Bertossaite

Cleavage:

[100] Good

Color:

Light pink.

Density:

3.1

Fracture:

Conchoidal - Uneven - Uneven fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Bertossaite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.021 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.021 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2045,KPDmeas= 0.2045,KC= 0.2089

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.624, b=1.636, g=1.642, bire=0.0180

Calculated Properties of Bertossaite

Electron Density:

r_electron=3.07 gm/cc
note: r_Bertossaite=3.10 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00204
Boson Index = 0.99796

Photoelectric:

PE_Bertossaite= 2.33 barns/electron
U=PE_Bertossaite x r_electron= 7.15 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Bertossaite is Not Radioactive

Bertossaite Classification

Dana Class:

41.7.1.2 (41)Anhydrous Phosphates, etc. Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(41.7)where (A B)m (XO4)4 Zq

(41.7.1)Dana Group

41.7.1.1 Palermoite (Sr,Ca)(Li,Na)2Al4(PO4)4(OH)4 I mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

41.7.1.2 Bertossaite Li2CaAl4(PO4)4(OH)4 Imaa,Iaa2 Ortho

Strunz Class:

VII/B.28-10 VII - Phosphates, Arsenates and Vanadates

VII/B - Waterfree phosphates with unfamiliar anions F, Cl, O, OH. cations of medium and big size: Mg, Cu, Zn, and Ca, Na, K, Ba, Pb

VII/B.28 - Carminite series

VII/B.28-10 Bertossaite Li2CaAl4(PO4)4(OH)4 Imaa,Iaa2 Ortho

VII/B.28-20 Palermoite (Sr,Ca)(Li,Na)2Al4(PO4)4(OH)4 I mmm 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/B.28-30 Attakolite (Ca,Sr)Mn(Al,Fe)4[(Si,P)O4]H(PO4)3(OH)4 C 2/m 2/m

VII/B.28-35 Sewardite! CaFe2(AsO4)2(OH)2 C ccm 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/B.28-40 Carminite PbFe2(AsO4)2(OH)2 C ccm 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/B.28-60 Leningradite PbCu3(VO4)Cl2 I bam 2/m 2/m 2/m

VII/B.28-70 Namibite CuBi2(VO4)O2 C 2/m,Cm,C 2 Mono

VII/B.28-80 Paganoite! (Ni,Co)BiAsO5 P1 1

Other Bertossaite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Bertossaite :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - EUROmin Project 4 -Google Images 5 -Google Scholar 6 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 7 -MinDAT 8 -MinMax(Deutsch) 9 -MinMax(English) 10 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 11 -QUT Mineral Atlas 12 -École des Mines de Paris

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Bertossaite

Li2CaAl4(PO4)4(OH)4
Dana No: 41.7.1.2 Strunz No: VII/B.28-10
Locality:

Notes: