Meliphanite Mineral Data
General Meliphanite Information
Chemical Formula:
(Ca,Na)2Be[(Si,Al)2O6(F,OH)]
Composition:
Molecular Weight = 241.15 gm
Sodium 9.53 % Na 12.85 % Na2 O
Calcium 16.62 % Ca 23.25 % CaO
Beryllium 3.74 % Be 10.37 % BeO
Aluminum 11.19 % Al 21.14 % Al2 O3
Silicon 11.65 % Si 24.92 % SiO2
Hydrogen 0.21 % H 1.87 % H2 O
Oxygen 43.13 % O
Fluorine 3.94 % F 3.94 % F
- %
F -1.66 % -O=F2
______ ______
100.00 % 96.68 % = TOTAL OXIDE
Empirical Formula:
CaNaBeSiAlO6 F0.5 (OH)0.5
Environment:
Nepheline-syenite pegmatite.
IMA Status:
Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1852
Locality:
Langesundfiord district of southern Norway. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.
Name Origin:
Named from the Greek for "honey" and "to appear" in allusion to the color.
Name Pronunciation:
Meliphanite + Pronunciation
Synonym:
Melinophane
Meliphanite Image
Images:
Meliphanite
Comments: Honey yellow, translucent sample of Meliphanite.
Location: Aroy, Langesundsfjorden, Norway.
Scale: 3.6 X 5.3 cm.
© John Veevaert
Meliphanite Crystallography
Axial Ratios:
a:c = 1:0.94018
Cell Dimensions:
a = 10.516, c = 9.887, Z = 8; V = 1,093.37 Den(Calc)= 2.93
Crystal System:
Tetragonal - Disphenoidal H-M Symbol (4 ) Space Group: I 4
X Ray Diffraction:
By Intensity(I/Io ): 2.759(1), 2.97(0.39), 3.601(0.37),
Physical Properties of Meliphanite
Cleavage:
{010} Perfect, {001} Distinct
Color:
Colorless, Yellow, Yellowish red, Red.
Density:
3.01 - 3.03, Average = 3.01
Diaphaneity:
Transparent to translucent
Fracture:
Brittle - Uneven - Very brittle fracture producing uneven fragments.
Habit:
Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).
Habit:
Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.
Hardness:
5-5.5 - Apatite-Knife Blade
Luster:
Vitreous (Glassy)
Streak:
white
Optical Properties of Meliphanite
Dichroism (e):
yellow.
Dichroism (w):
dark yellow.
Gladstone-Dale:
CI meas = -0.041 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas /KC ) CI calc = -0.073 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc /KC )
KPDcalc = 0.2166,KPDmeas = 0.2102,KC = 0.2019 Ncalc = 1.59 - 1.61
Optical Data:
Uniaxial (-), e=1.592-1.672, w=1.611-1.664, bire=0.0080-0.0190.
Calculated Properties of Meliphanite
Electron Density:
Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.98 gm/cc note: Specific Gravity of Meliphanite =3.02 gm/cc.
Fermion Index:
Fermion Index = 0.04 Boson Index = 0.96
Photoelectric:
PEMeliphanite = 3.05 barns/electronU=PEMeliphanite x r Electron Density= 9.10 barns/cc.
Radioactivity:
GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units) Meliphanite is Not Radioactive
Meliphanite Classification
Dana Class:
55.04.02.05 (55) Sorosilicate Si2O7 Groups, Generally with No Additional Anions
(55.04) with cations in [8] and lower coordination
(55.04.02) Fresnoite group
55.04.02.01 Fresnoite Ba2TiSi2O8 P 4bm 4mm
55.04.02.02 Hardystonite Ca2ZnSi2O7 P 4 21 m 4 2m
55.04.02.03 Jeffreyite (Ca,Na)2(Be,Al)Si2(O,OH)7 C 2221 2 2 2
55.04.02.04 Leucophanite (Na,Ca)2BeSi2(O,OH,F)7 P1 1
55.04.02.05 Meliphanite (Ca,Na)2Be[(Si,Al)2O6(F,OH)] I 4 4
55.04.02.06 Gugiaite Ca2BeSi2O7 P 4 21 m 4 2m
Strunz Class:
09.DP.05 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)
09.D - Inosilicates* Structural terminology according to Liebau (1985)
09.DP -Transitional ino-phyllosilicate structures
09.DP.05 Meliphanite (Ca,Na)2Be[(Si,Al)2O6(F,OH)] I 4 4
Other Meliphanite Information
References:
NAME( Ford32) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)
See Also:
Links to other databases for Meliphanite :
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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Meliphanite
(Ca,Na)2Be[(Si,Al)2O6(F,OH)]
Dana No: 55.04.02.05 Strunz No: 09.DP.05
Locality:
Notes:
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