Tritomite-(Y) Mineral Data

General Tritomite-(Y) Information

Chemical Formula:

(Y,Ca,La,Fe++)5(Si,B,Al)3(O,OH,F)13 (?)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 693.60 gm

Calcium 8.67 % Ca 12.13 % CaO

Lanthanum 20.03 % La 23.49 % La₂O₃

Yttrium 25.64 % Y 32.56 % Y₂O₃

Aluminum 1.17 % Al 2.21 % Al₂O₃

Iron 4.03 % Fe 5.18 % FeO

Silicon 8.10 % Si 17.33 % SiO₂

Boron 1.09 % B 3.51 % B₂O₃

Hydrogen 0.44 % H 3.90 % H₂O

Oxygen 25.37 % O

Fluorine 5.48 % F 5.48 % F

- % F -2.31 % -O=F₂

______ ______

100.00 % 103.46 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

5(Y_0.4)5(Ca_0.3)5(La_0.2)5(Fe²⁺_0.1)Si₂B_0.7Al_0.3O₈(OH)₃F₂

Environment:

Granite pegmatites.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1962

Locality:

Cranberry Lake, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA. 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-(Y) + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Spenceite

Tritomite-(Y) Image

Images:

Tritomite-(Y)

Comments: Massive, resinous spencite (Tritomite-(Y)), with brown zircon crystals..
Location: BEMCO prospect (Charlotte Mine), Cranberry Lake, Byram Township, Sussex Co., New Jersey, USA. Scale: Sample Size 2.0 cm.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Tritomite-(Y) Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:0.7339

Cell Dimensions:

a = 9.32, c = 6.84, Z = 2; V = 514.54 Den(Calc)= 4.48

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): 2.78(1), 3.13(0.5), 4.02(0.5),

Physical Properties of Tritomite-(Y)

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Greenish black, Dark green black, Reddish brown.

Density:

3.05 - 3.4, Average = 3.22

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:

3.5-6.5

Luster:

Vitreous - Resinous

Optical Properties of Tritomite-(Y)

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.147 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.175 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1563,KPDmeas= 0.2171,KC= 0.1893
Ncalc = 1.58 - 1.85

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=1.63-1.77.

Calculated Properties of Tritomite-(Y)

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.00 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Tritomite-(Y) =3.23 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0072261677
Boson Index = 0.9927738323

Photoelectric:

PE_{Tritomite-(Y)}= 127.77 barns/electron
U=PE_{Tritomite-(Y)} x r_electron= 383.06 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 19,858.64 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Tritomite-(Y) per GRapi unit = 50.36 (PPM)

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

**Estimated Radioactivity from Tritomite-(Y)** - 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 / 8.40 cm	448,596	1.21E-05	19,858.64	6.53
100 gm / 3.90 cm	44,860	1.21E-06	1,985.86	0.65
10 gm / 1.81 cm	4,486	1.21E-07	198.59	0.07
1 gm / 8.40 mm	449	1.21E-08	19.86	0.01
0.1 gm / 3.90 mm	45	1.21E-09	1.99	0.00
0.01 gm / 1.81 mm	4	1.21E-10	0.20	0.00
0.001 gm / 0.84 mm	0	1.21E-11	0.02	0.00

Weight of pure Tritomite-(Y) in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 3.23 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
Estimated Thorium Activity ( 1.00 % Th) From Sum REE Elements (20.03 % REE)

Tritomite-(Y) Classification

Dana Class:

54.02.05.02 (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-(Y) 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-(Y) :
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

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

Tritomite-(Y)

(Y,Ca,La,Fe++)5(Si,B,Al)3(O,OH,F)13 (?)
Dana No: 54.02.05.02 Strunz No: 09.AH.30
Locality:

Notes: