Tritomite-(Ce) Mineral Data

General Tritomite-(Ce) Information

Chemical Formula:

(Ce,La,Ca,Y,Th)5(Si,B)3(O,OH,F)13

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 787.79 gm

Calcium 10.17 % Ca 14.24 % CaO

Lanthanum 17.63 % La 20.68 % La₂O₃

Cerium 26.68 % Ce 31.25 % Ce₂O₃

Yttrium 3.95 % Y 5.02 % Y₂O₃

Thorium 4.42 % Th 5.03 % ThO₂

Silicon 8.91 % Si 19.07 % SiO₂

Boron 0.69 % B 2.21 % B₂O₃

Hydrogen 0.38 % H 3.43 % H₂O

Oxygen 22.34 % O

Fluorine 4.82 % F 4.82 % F

- % F -2.03 % -O=F₂

______ ______

100.00 % 103.71 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

5(Ce_0.3)5(Ca_0.4)5(La_0.2)5(Y_0.07)5(Th_0.03)Si_2.5B_0.5O₈(OH)₃F₂

Environment:

Nepheline Syenite.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1849

Locality:

Laven Island, Langesundfiord district, near Brevik, southern Norway. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named from the Greek for "three" and "to cut," in allusion to the trihedral cavities left in the host rock by the crystals.

Name Pronunciation:

Tritomite-(Ce) + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Tritomite

Tritomite-(Ce) Image

Images:

Tritomite-(Ce)

Comments: Dark brown, vitreous grains of tritomite-(Ce) in pegmatite matrix.
Location: Langesundsfjorden, Larvik, Vestfold, Norway. Scale: Crystal size 1 cm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Tritomite-(Ce) Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:0.73582

Cell Dimensions:

a = 9.35, c = 6.88, Z = 2; V = 520.89 Den(Calc)= 5.02

Crystal System:

Hexagonal - DipyramidalH-M Symbol (6/m) Space Group: P 6₃/m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.81(1), 1.84(0.4), 3.44(0.4),

Physical Properties of Tritomite-(Ce)

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Dark brown.

Density:

4.2

Diaphaneity:

Translucent to Subopaque

Fracture:

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

Habit:

Metamict - Mineral originally crystalline, now amorphous due to radiation damage.

Habit:

Pyramidal - Crystals are shaped like pyramids.

Hardness:

5.5 - Knife Blade

Luster:

Vitreous - Resinous

Optical Properties of Tritomite-(Ce)

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.073 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.225 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1401,KPDmeas= 0.1675,KC= 0.1808
Ncalc = 1.76 - 1.91

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=1.65-1.757.

Calculated Properties of Tritomite-(Ce)

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.81 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Tritomite-(Ce) =4.20 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0059314927
Boson Index = 0.9940685073

Photoelectric:

PE_{Tritomite-(Ce)}= 328.36 barns/electron
U=PE_{Tritomite-(Ce)} x r_electron=1,252.21 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 85,580.96 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Tritomite-(Ce) per GRapi unit = 11.68 (PPM)

Tritomite-(Ce) is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.

Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 10 cm box) 355.41 ± 88.85 grams of pure Tritomite-(Ce) .

**Estimated Radioactivity from Tritomite-(Ce)** - weak
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *	Calculated Activity Becquerels (Bq)	Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)	Estimated Activity GR(api)	Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 7.69 cm	1,979,331	5.35E-05	85,580.96	28.14
100 gm / 3.57 cm	197,933	5.35E-06	8,558.10	2.81
10 gm / 1.66 cm	19,793	5.35E-07	855.81	0.28
1 gm / 7.69 mm	1,979	5.35E-08	85.58	0.03
0.1 gm / 3.57 mm	198	5.35E-09	8.56	0.00
0.01 gm / 1.66 mm	20	5.35E-10	0.86	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.77 mm	2	5.35E-11	0.09	0.00

Weight of pure Tritomite-(Ce) in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 4.20 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure ( 360 mRem) **
Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem

Tritomite-(Ce) Classification

Dana Class:

54.02.05.01 (54)Nesosilicate Borosilicates and Some Beryllosilicates

(54.02)with B in [4] coordination

(54.02.05)Tritomite group

54.02.05.01 Tritomite-(Ce) (Ce,La,Ca,Y,Th)5(Si,B)3(O,OH,F)13 P 6₃/m 6/m

54.02.05.02 Tritomite-(Y) (Y,Ca,La,Fe)5(Si,B,Al)3(O,OH,F)13(?) P 6₃/m 6/m

54.02.05.03 Melanocerite-(Ce) (Ce,Th,Ca)5(Si,B)3O12(OH,F)•n(H2O)(?) Unk (HEX-R) Trig

Strunz Class:

09.AH.30 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.A - Nesosilicates

09.AH -Nesosilicates with CO3, SO4, PO4, etc.

09.AH.30 Mattheddleite Pb20(SiO4)7(SO4)4Cl4 P 6₃/m 6/m

09.AH.30 Tritomite-(Ce) (Ce,La,Ca,Y,Th)5(Si,B)3(O,OH,F)13 P 6₃/m 6/m

09.AH.30 Tritomite-(Y) (Y,Ca,La,Fe)5(Si,B,Al)3(O,OH,F)13(?) P 6₃/m 6/m

Other Tritomite-(Ce) 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 Tritomite-(Ce) :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - GeoScienceWorld
5 - Google Images
6 - Google Scholar
7 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
8 - MinDAT
9 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
10 - Online Mineral Museum
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info
13 - Uranium Minerals

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Tritomite-(Ce) Specimen Label here :

Tritomite-(Ce)

(Ce,La,Ca,Y,Th)5(Si,B)3(O,OH,F)13
Dana No: 54.02.05.01 Strunz No: 09.AH.30
Locality:

Notes: