Struvite Mineral Data

General Struvite Information

Chemical Formula:

(NH4)MgPO4•6(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 245.41 gm

Magnesium 9.90 % Mg 16.42 % MgO

Phosphorus 12.62 % P 28.92 % P₂O₅

Hydrogen 1.64 % H - % Calc as (NH₄)₂O

Hydrogen 4.93 % H 44.05 % H₂O

Nitrogen 5.71 % N 10.61 % (NH₄)₂O

Oxygen 65.20 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

(NH₄)Mg(PO₄)•6(H₂O)

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1845

Locality:

Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after the Russian diplomat, H. G. von Struve (1772-1851).

Name Pronunciation:

Struvite

Synonym:

ICSD 14269

PDF 47-1744

Struvite Image

Images:

Struvite

Comments: Opaque, white crystal struvite aggregates in earthy matrix.
Location: Skipton Caves, Victoria, Australia. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Struvite

Comments: Yellow-brown tabular struvite crystal. Struvite is of organogenic origin and this type locality example is formed in manure pits.
Location: Nicolaikirche, Hamburg, Germany. Scale: Specimen Size 1 x 1 x 1 cm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Struvite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.6196:1:0.5474

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.945, b = 11.208, c = 6.1355, Z = 2; V = 477.58 Den(Calc)= 1.71

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - PyramidalH-M Symbol (mm2) Space Group: P mn2₁

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 4.257(1), 5.601(0.6), 2.919(0.55),

Forms:

Mouse
Dbl Clk - Start-Stop Rotation
RMB - Cycle Display Modes
Drag1 - Manipulate Crystal
Drag2 - Resize
Keyboard
S - Stereo
I - Indicies
<space> - Start-Stop Rotation
F - Fit to Screen
M - Menu
Help on Above

Forms: ( 0 1 1) ( 1 0 2) ( 1 0 0) ( 0 0 1)

Warning: this large pop-up is very compute intensive and may not work well with some computers.

Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
Help on Above

Ferraris G , Fuess H , Joswig W , Acta Crystallographica, Section B , 42 (1986) p.253-258, Neutron diffraction study of MgNH4PO4*6H2O (struvite), and survey of water molecules donating short hydrogen bonds

Physical Properties of Struvite

Cleavage:

{100} Perfect

Color:

White, Yellowish white, Brownish white.

Density:

1.7

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to Translucent

Fracture:

Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.

Habit:

Euhedral Crystals - Occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form.

Habit:

Platy - Sheet forms (e.g. micas).

Hardness:

1.5-2 - Talc-Gypsum

Luster:

Vitreous - Dull

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Struvite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.245 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.237 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2914,KPDmeas= 0.2931,KC= 0.2355
Ncalc = 1.4

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.495, b=1.496, g=1.504, bire=0.0090, 2V(Calc)=40, 2V(Meas)=37.367.

Calculated Properties of Struvite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=1.81 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Struvite =1.71 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.06
Boson Index = 0.94

Photoelectric:

PE_Struvite= 0.96 barns/electron
U=PE_Struvite x rElectron Density= 1.74 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Struvite Classification

Dana Class:

40.01.01.01 (40)Hydrated Phosphates, etc

(40.01)where A++ B++ (XO4) · x(H2O)

(40.01.01)Struvite Group

40.01.01.01 Struvite (NH4)MgPO4•6(H2O) P mn2₁ mm2

40.01.01.02 Struvite-(K)! KMg(PO4)•6(H2O) P mn2₁ mm2

40.01.01.03 Hazenite KNaMg2(PO4)2•14H2O Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

08.CH.40 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.C - Phosphates without Additional Anions, with H2O

08.CH -With large and medium-sized cations, RO4:H2O < 1:1

08.CH.40 Struvite (NH4)MgPO4•6(H2O) P mn2₁ mm2

08.CH.40 Struvite-(K)! KMg(PO4)•6(H2O) P mn2₁ mm2

08.CH.40 Hazenite KNaMg2(PO4)2•14H2O Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

Other Struvite Information

References:

PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Ford32)

See Also:

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

Search for Struvite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Struvite :

A Bijoux Google Search for Struvite
Adam's Minerals Google Search for Struvite
Cape Minerals Google Search for Struvite
Dakota Matrix Minerals Google Search for Struvite
Excalibur Mineral Corp. Google Search for Struvite
Exceptional Minerals Google Search for Struvite
John Betts Fine Minerals Search for Struvite
McDougall Minerals Google Search for Struvite
Mineral News Website Link
Rock and Mineral Shows Google Search for Struvite
Weinrich Minerals, Inc. Google Search for Struvite

Ask about Struvite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

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

Struvite

(NH4)MgPO4•6(H2O)
Dana No: 40.01.01.01 Strunz No: 08.CH.40
Locality:

Notes: