Wenkite Mineral Data

General Wenkite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ba4Ca6(Si,Al)20O39(OH)2(SO4)3•n(H2O) (?)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 2,317.71 gm

Barium 21.92 % Ba 24.48 % BaO

Sodium 0.50 % Na 0.67 % Na₂O

Calcium 9.51 % Ca 13.31 % CaO

Aluminum 11.99 % Al 22.66 % Al₂O₃

Silicon 11.63 % Si 24.89 % SiO₂

Hydrogen 0.33 % H 2.95 % H₂O

Sulfur 4.01 % S 10.02 % SO₃

Chlorine 0.76 % Cl 0.76 % Cl

- % Cl -0.17 % -O=Cl₂

Oxygen 38.52 % O

Fluorine 0.82 % F 0.82 % F

- % F -0.35 % -O=F₂

______ ______

100.00 % 100.03 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Ba_3.7Ca_5.5Na_0.5Si_9.6Al_10.3O_38.9(OH)₃FCl_0.5(SO₄)_2.9�2.3(H₂O)

Environment:

Formed between barite layers and calc-silicate rock, a product of strong metamorphism of limestones.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1962

Locality:

At Cava Mergozzoni, Candoglia, Piedmont, Ital. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for Eduard Wenk (1907-), mineralogist and petrologist, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

Name Pronunciation:

Wenkite

Synonym:

ICSD 9338

PDF 19-1418

Wenkite Image

Images:

Wenkite

Comments: Translucent nearly colorless wenkite crystal in vug.
Location: Garpenberg Mine, Kopparberg, Sweden. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Wenkite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:0.55229

Cell Dimensions:

a = 13.511, c = 7.462, Z = 1; V = 1,179.67 Den(Calc)= 3.26

Crystal System:

Hexagonal - Ditrigonal Dipyramidal H-M Symbol (6 m2) Space Group: P 62m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.46(1), 2.69(0.9), 3.38(0.8),

Physical Properties of Wenkite

Cleavage:

{???} Indistinct

Color:

Light gray.

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to Translucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Columnar - Forms columns

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Wenkite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.003 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.042 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1817,KPDmeas= 0.1893,KC= 0.1898
Ncalc = 1.59 - 1.62

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.589, w=1.596, bire=0.0070.

Calculated Properties of Wenkite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.00 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Wenkite =3.13 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.04
Boson Index = 0.96

Photoelectric:

PE_Wenkite= 94.20 barns/electron
U=PE_Wenkite x rElectron Density= 282.12 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Wenkite Classification

Dana Class:

76.02.05.16 (76)Tectosilicate Al-Si Framework

(76.02)Feldspathoids and related species

(76.02.05)Cancrinite group

76.02.05.01 Afghanite (Na,Ca,K)8(Si,Al)12O24(SO4,Cl,CO3)3•(H2O) P 6₃/mmc, P 6₃mc, or P 62c Hex

76.02.05.02 Bystrite (Na,K)7Ca(Si6Al6)O24S4.5•(H2O) P 3₁c 3m

76.02.05.03 Cancrinite Na6Ca2Al6Si6O24(CO3)2 P 6₃ 6

76.02.05.04 Cancrisilite Na7Al5Si7O24(C03)•3(H2O) P 6₃ 6

76.02.05.05 Davyne Na4K2Ca2Si6Al6O24(SO4)Cl2 P 6₃/m 6/m

76.02.05.06 Franzinite [(Na,K)30Ca10][Si30Al30O120](SO4)10•2(H2O) P 3₂1 3 2

76.02.05.07 Giuseppettite [Na42K16Ca6]S64Si48Al48O192(SO4)10Cl2•5H2O P 3₁c 3m

76.02.05.08 Hydroxycancrinite Na4(AlSiO4)3(OH)•(H2O) P 6₃ 6

76.02.05.09 Liottite (Ca,Na,K)8(Si,Al)12O24[(SO4),(CO3),Cl,OH]4•(H2O) P 6m2 6 m2

76.02.05.10 Microsommite (Na,Ca,K)7-8(Si,Al)12O24(Cl,SO4)2-3 P 6₃22 6 2 2

76.02.05.11 Pitiglianoite Na6K2Si6Al6O24(SO4)•2(H2O) P 6₃ 6

76.02.05.12 Quadridavyne (Na,K)6Ca2Al6Si6O24Cl4 P 6₃/m 6/m

76.02.05.13 Sacrofanite (Na,Ca,K)9Si6Al6O24[(OH),(SO4),(CO3),Cl)]4•n(H2O) P 6₃/mmc ? 6/m 2/m 2/m

76.02.05.14 Tounkite (Na,Ca,K)8Al6Si6O24(SO4)2Cl•(H2O) P 6₂22 6 2 2

76.02.05.15 Vishnevite (Na,Ca,K)6(Si,Al)12O24[(SO4),(CO3),Cl2]2-4•n(H2O) P 6₃22 6 2 2

76.02.05.16 Wenkite Ba4Ca6(Si,Al)20O39(OH)2(SO4)3•n(H2O)(?) P 62m 6 m2

76.02.05.17 Marinellite! [(Na,K)42Ca6](Si36Al36O144)(SO4)8Cl2•6(H2O) P 3₁c or P 2c Trig

76.02.05.18 Farneseite! (Na37K9Ca10)S56(Si42Al42)S84O168(SO4)12•6(H2O) P 6₃/m 6/m 2/m 2/m

76.02.05.19 Alloriite! Na5K1.5Ca(Si6Al6O24)(SO4)(OH)0.5•H2O P 3₁c 3m

76.02.05.20 Biachellaite (Na,Ca,K)8(Si6Al6O24)(SO4)2(OH)0.5•H2O P 3 3

76.02.05.21 IMA2008-006! [Na82.5Ca33K16.5](Si99Al99O396)(SO4)33•4H2O P 3 3

76.02.05.22 Kyanoxalite! Na7(Al5-6Si6-7O24)(C2O4)0.5-1.0•5H2O P 6₃ 6

76.02.05.23 IMA2008-065! (Na,K)6Ca2(Si6Al6O24)Cl2(CO3) P 6₃ 6

Strunz Class:

09.GD.25 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.G - Tektosilicates with Zeolitic H2O

09.GD -Chains of 6-membered rings � tabular zeolites

09.GD.25 Offretite (K2,Ca,Mg)2.5Al5Si13O36•15(H2O) P 6m2 6 m2

09.GD.25 Wenkite Ba4Ca6(Si,Al)20O39(OH)2(SO4)3•n(H2O)(?) P 62m 6 m2

Other Wenkite Information

References:

NAME( AntBidBlaNic2) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Wenkite :
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 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
16 - WWW-MINCRYST
17 - Zeolite Database by Bruno Herreros

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Wenkite

Ba4Ca6(Si,Al)20O39(OH)2(SO4)3•n(H2O) (?)
Dana No: 76.02.05.16 Strunz No: 09.GD.25
Locality:

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