spodumene

spod·u·mene

S0656900 (spŏj′ə-mēn′)n. A greenish to pinkish or lilac mineral, LiAlSi₂O₆, that is used as a source of lithium and in transparent varieties as a gemstone.

[French spodumène, from German Spodumen, from Greek spodoumenos, present participle of spodousthai, to be burned to ashes, from spodos, wood ashes (because the mineral becomes ash gray when exposed to air).]

spodumene

(ˈspɒdjʊˌmiːn) n (Minerals) a greyish-white, green, or lilac pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminium silicate in monoclinic crystalline form. It is an important ore of lithium and is used in the manufacture of glass and ceramics and as a gemstone. Formula: LiAlSi2O6[C19: from French spodumène, from German Spodumen, from Greek spodoumenos, from spodousthai to be burnt to ashes, from spodos wood ash]

spod•u•mene

(ˈspɒdʒ ʊˌmin)

n. a mineral, lithium aluminum silicate, LiAlSi₂O₆, occurring in prismatic crystals or masses: transparent colored varieties are used as gems. [1795–1805; < French spodumène]

Thesaurus

Noun

spodumene - a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminum silicate; a source of lithiumatomic number 3, Li, lithium - a soft silver-white univalent element of the alkali metal group; the lightest metal known; occurs in several mineralsmineral - solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical compositionkunzite - a pinkish lilac crystal form of the mineral spodumene that is used as a gemstonehiddenite - a green transparent form of the mineral spodumene used as a gemstone

Spodumene

enUK

spodumene

[′spä·jə‚mēn] (mineralogy) LiAlSi₂O₆ A white to yellowish-, purplish-, or emerald-green clinopyroxene mineral occurring in prismatic crystals; hardness is 6.5-7 on Mohs scale, and specific gravity 3.13-3.20; an ore of lithium. Also known as triphane.

Spodumene

(also triphane), a mineral of the clinopyroxene group, which belongs to the inosilicate class of silicates. The chemical composition is LiAl[Si₂O₆]. Spodumene forms elongated prismatic crystals 1–10 cm in length; the length of the crystals sometimes reaches 1 m and, less frequently, 10–16 m. Colors are gray, yellowish, greenish, or pinkish, but sometimes the mineral is colorless. The transparent pink and violet-pink varieties are called kunzite, whereas the emerald green varieties are called hiddenite.

Spodumene has a vitreous luster, a hardness of 6.5–7 on Mohs’ scale, a density of 3,100–3,200 kg/m³, and a perfect cleavage along the prism. When heated in the temperature range 950°-l 100°C, natural α-spodumene changes to the β-modification of the crystal structure (β-spodumene).

Spodumene occurs in granitic pegmatites of the sodium-lithium type in association with quartz, microcline, albite, beryl, lepidol-ite, tantalite, and, sometimes, pollucite and other minerals. It often alters to aggregates of eucryptite (LiAlSiO₄) or aggregates of sericite with albite. In the waste mantle, it alters easily to clay minerals. Spodumene is the primary mineral of lithium ores; kun-zite and hiddenite are gems. In other countries, spodumene is used in the production of ceramics.

REFERENCES

Ginzburg, A. I. “Spodumen i protsessy ego izmeneniia.” Tr. Mineralogicheskogo muzeia AN SSSR, 1959, issue 9.
Gordienko, V. V. Mineralogiia, geokhimiia i genezis spodumenovykh pegmatitov. Leningrad, 1970.
Ginzburg, A. I., and G. P. Lugovskoi. “Mestorozhdeniia litiia.” In Rudnye mestorozhdeniia SSSR, vol. 3. Moscow, 1974.

A. I. GINZBURG

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REFERENCES

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Words related to spodumene

noun a pyroxene mineral consisting of lithium aluminum silicate

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