Kalsilite Mineral Data

General Kalsilite Information

Chemical Formula:

KAlSiO4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 158.16 gm

Potassium 24.72 % K 29.78 % K₂O

Aluminum 17.06 % Al 32.23 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 17.76 % Si 37.99 % SiO₂

Oxygen 40.46 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

KAlSiO₄

Environment:

Embedded grains in silica-undersaturated lavas and nepheline-bearing igneous rocks.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1942

Locality:

Kyambogo crater, Bynyaryguru field, Lake Mafuru, Uganda Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the compostion, Kallium (Potassium), Aluminum, and Silicon. K,AL,SI.

Name Pronunciation:

Kalsilite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 34350

PDF 11-579

Kalsilite Image

Images:

Kalsilite

Comments: Small, hair-like crystals of kalsilite on crystals of phlogopite and smaller crystals of analcime and fluorapatite.
Location: San Venanzo, Tern, Italy. Scale: Picture size 5 mm.
© John Veevaert

Kalsilite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:1.68819

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.157, c = 8.706, Z = 2; V = 200.51 Den(Calc)= 2.62

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Ditrigonal PyramidalH-M Symbol (3m) Space Group: P 3₁c

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.12(1), 2.58(0.5), 3.97(0.45),

Crystal Structure:

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Cellai D , Bonazzi P , Carpenter M A , American Mineralogist , 82 (1997) p.276-279, Natural kalsilite, KAlSiO4, with P31c symmetry: Crystal structure and twinning

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Kalsilite
[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Physical Properties of Kalsilite

Cleavage:

{1010} Indistinct, {0001} Indistinct

Color:

Colorless, Gray, Gray white, White.

Density:

2.59 - 2.625, Average = 2.6

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to Translucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luster:

Vitreous - Greasy

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Kalsilite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.01 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.005 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2052,KPDmeas= 0.2061,KC= 0.2041
Ncalc = 1.53 - 1.54

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.532-1.537, w=1.538-1.543, bire=0.0060.

Calculated Properties of Kalsilite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.58 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Kalsilite =2.62 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0085165557
Boson Index = 0.9914834443

Photoelectric:

PE_Kalsilite= 3.65 barns/electron
U=PE_Kalsilite x r_electron= 9.44 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 351.79 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Kalsilite per GRapi unit = 0.28 (%)

Estimated Radioactivity from Kalsilite - barely detectable

Kalsilite Classification

Dana Class:

76.02.01.01 (76)Tectosilicate Al-Si Framework

(76.02)Feldspathoids and related species

(76.02.01)Nepheline group

76.02.01.01 Kalsilite KAlSiO4 P 3₁c 3m

76.02.01.02 Nepheline (Na,K)AlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

76.02.01.03 Trikalsilite (K,Na)AlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

76.02.01.04 Panunzite (K,Na)AlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

76.02.01.05 Kaliophilite KAlSiO4 P 6₃22 6 2 2

76.02.01.06 Yoshiokaite (Ca8-(x/2)[](x/2)Al16-xSixO32) P 3 3

76.02.01.07 Megakalsilite! KAlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

Strunz Class:

09.FA.05 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.F - Tektosilicates without Zeolitic H2O

09.FA -Tektosilicates without additional non-tetrahedral anions, (Al,B):Si = 1:1

09.FA.05 Nepheline (Na,K)AlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

09.FA.05 Kaliophilite KAlSiO4 P 6₃22 6 2 2

09.FA.05 Kalsilite KAlSiO4 P 3₁c 3m

09.FA.05 Panunzite (K,Na)AlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

09.FA.05 Trikalsilite (K,Na)AlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

09.FA.05 Megakalsilite! KAlSiO4 P 6₃ 6

09.FA.05 Yoshiokaite (Ca8-(x/2)[](x/2)Al16-xSixO32) P 3 3

Other Kalsilite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Am.Min.,Vol.82,p276-279,1997) OPTIC PROP.(Am.Min.,Vol.82,p276-279,1997)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Kalsilite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - GeoScienceWorld
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
12 - Online Mineral Museum
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Ask about Kalsilite here :
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Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Kalsilite Specimen Label here :

Kalsilite

KAlSiO4
Dana No: 76.02.01.01 Strunz No: 09.FA.05
Locality:

Notes: