Aspedamite Explained
| Aspedamite |
| Formula: | []12(Fe3+2Fe2+)Nb4(ThNb9Fe3+2Ti4+O42)(H2O)9(OH)3 |
| Imasymbol: | Apd |
| Color: | Brownish orange to deep red |
| Cleavage: | None Observed |
| Luster: | Adamantine |
| Streak: | Very pale orange |
| Gravity: | 4.070 |
Aspedamite is a very rare mineral, one of two natural heteropolyniobates.[1] Its chemical formula (one of the possible formulas) is complex and shows the presence of essential vacancies: []12(Fe3+2Fe2+)Nb4(ThNb9Fe3+2Ti4+O42)(H2O)9(OH)3. Its structure (isometric, space group Im3) is the same as of the second known heteropolyniobate - menezesite.[2] [3] Aspedamite is somewhat similar to another mineral from Norway, peterandresenite, which is a hexaniobate.[4]
Notes and References
- Web site: Aspedamite: Aspedamite mineral information and data . Mindat.org . 2016-03-04.
- Cooper, M.A., Abdu, Y.A., Ball, N.A., Černý, P., Hawthorne, F.C., and Kristiansen, R., 2012. Aspedamite, Ideally []12(Fe3+,Fe2+)3Nb4[Th(Nb,Fe<sup>3+</sup>)<sub>12</sub>O<sub>42</sub>]1212, a New Heteropolyniobate Mineral Species from the Herrebøkasa Quarry, Aspedammen, Østfold, Southern Norway: Description and Crystal Structure. The Canadian Mineralogist 50, 793-804; DOI: 10.3749/canmin.50.4.793
- Web site: Menezesite: Menezesite mineral information and data . Mindat.org . 2016-03-04.
- Web site: Peterandresenite: Peterandresenite mineral information and data . Mindat.org . 2016-03-04.
