Tuite Mineral Data

General Tuite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca3(PO4)2

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 306.55 gm

Sodium 2.10 % Na 2.83 % Na₂O

Calcium 32.81 % Ca 45.91 % CaO

Magnesium 2.14 % Mg 3.55 % MgO

Iron 0.36 % Fe 0.47 % FeO

Phosphorus 20.41 % P 46.77 % P₂O₅

Oxygen 42.17 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 99.53 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ca_2.51Na_0.28Mg_0.27Fe²⁺_0.02(PO₄)_2.02

Environment:

In a shock-melt vein of the meteorite. High pressure polymorph of whitlockite.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 2003 (Dana # Added)

Locality:

Suizhou L6 chondrite meteorite, which fell in 1986 in Dayanpo, 12.5 km southeast of the city of Suizhou, Hubei Province, People’s Republic of China. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Guangzhi Tu (1920-), professor and founding director of the Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Repub lic of China.

Synonym:

IMA2001-070

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Tuite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:3.56162

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.258, c = 18.727, Z = 3; V = 448.37 Den(Calc)= 3.41

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Ditrigonal PyramidalH-M Symbol (3m) Space Group: R 3m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.628(1)(110), 2.891(0.8)(105), 1.945(0.47)(205),1.73(0.245)(0.1.10), 2.214(0.2)(202), 2.047(0.16), 2.078(0.12),

Physical Properties of Tuite

Color:

White, Yellowish gray.

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Habit:

Microscopic Crystals - Crystals visible only with microscopes.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Tuite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI calc= -0.056 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2063,KC= 0.1954
Ncalc = 1.67

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (+), w=1.701, e=1.706, bire=0.0050.

Calculated Properties of Tuite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.38 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Tuite =3.41 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0028633438
Boson Index = 0.9971366562

Photoelectric:

PE_Tuite= 5.21 barns/electron
U=PE_Tuite x rElectron Density= 17.60 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Tuite is Not Radioactive

Tuite Classification

Dana Class:

38.03.04.07 (38)Anhydrous Phosphates, etc

(38.03)(A+ B++)3 (XO4)2

(38.03.04)Whitlockite group

38.03.04.01 Whitlockite Ca9(Mg,Fe)(PO4)6(PO3OH) R 3c 3m

38.03.04.02 Strontiowhitlockite Sr7(Mg,Ca)3(PO4)6[PO3(OH)] R 3c 3m

38.03.04.03 Merrillite-(Ca)* (Ca,[])19Mg2(PO4)14 R 3c 3m

38.03.04.04 Merrillite Ca18Na2Mg2(PO4)14 R 3c 3m

38.03.04.05 Merrillite-(Y)* Ca16Y2Mg2(PO4)14 R 3c 3m

38.03.04.06 Ferromerrillite! Ca9NaFe(PO4)7 R 3c 3m

38.03.04.07 Tuite! Ca3(PO4)2 R 3m 3m

38.03.04.08 Bobdownsite! Ca9Mg(PO3F)(PO4)6 R 3c 3m

Strunz Class:

08.AC.45 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.A - Phosphates, etc. without additional anions, without H2O

08.AC -With medium-sized and large cations

08.AC.45 Merrillite-(Ca)* (Ca,[])19Mg2(PO4)14 R 3c 3m

08.AC.45 Merrillite Ca18Na2Mg2(PO4)14 R 3c 3m

08.AC.45 Merrillite-(Y)* Ca16Y2Mg2(PO4)14 R 3c 3m

08.AC.45 Strontiowhitlockite Sr7(Mg,Ca)3(PO4)6[PO3(OH)] R 3c 3m

08.AC.45 Whitlockite Ca9(Mg,Fe)(PO4)6(PO3OH) R 3c 3m

08.AC.45 Ferromerrillite! Ca9NaFe(PO4)7 R 3c 3m

08.AC.45 Tuite! Ca3(PO4)2 R 3m 3m

08.AC.45 Bobdownsite! Ca9Mg(PO3F)(PO4)6 R 3c 3m

Other Tuite Information

References:

NAME( CanMin, v 42:1259) PHYS. PROP.(CanMin, v 42:1259) OPTIC PROP.(CanMin, v 42:1259)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Tuite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - GeoScienceWorld
4 - Google Images
5 - Google Scholar
6 - MinDAT
7 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
8 - Online Mineral Museum
9 - QUT Mineral Atlas
10 - Ruff.Info

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

Tuite

Ca3(PO4)2
Dana No: 38.03.04.07 Strunz No: 08.AC.45
Locality:

Notes: