Kalinite should not be confused with kaolinite.
| Kalinite | |
| Category: | Sulfate minerals |
| Formula: | KAl(SO4)2·11H2O |
| Imasymbol: | Kli[1] |
| Molweight: | 456.37 g/mol |
| Strunz: | 7.CC.15 |
| Dana: | 29.5.4.2 |
| System: | Monoclinic |
| Class: | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Symmetry: | C2/c |
| Unit Cell: | a = 19.92(16), b = 9.27(3) c = 8.304(13) Å β = 98.79(19)°; Z = 4 |
| Color: | White to pale blue |
| Habit: | Fibrous |
| Fracture: | Conchoidal |
| Mohs: | 2 to 2.5 |
| Luster: | Vitreous |
| Refractive: | nα = 1.429 to 1.430, nβ = 1.452, nγ = 1.456 to 1.458 |
| Opticalprop: | Biaxial (−) |
| 2V: | 52° (measured), 82° (calculated) |
| Birefringence: | None |
| Streak: | White |
| Gravity: | 1.75 (observed) 2.0 (calculated) |
| Solubility: | Soluble in water |
| Diaphaneity: | Transparent |
| Other: | Not fluorescent, barely detectable radioactivity |
| References: | [2] [3] [4] |
Kalinite is a mineral composed of hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate (a type of alum). It is a fibrous monoclinic alum, distinct from isometric potassium alum,[5] named in 1868. Its name comes from kalium (derived from Arabic: القَلْيَه al-qalyah "plant ashes", which is the Latin name for potassium, hence its chemical symbol, "K".
A proposal to remove recognition of kalinite as a mineral species was submitted to the International Mineralogical Association;[4] however, kalinite is still on the list of approved minerals.[6] Many older samples, however, have been found to be potassium alum.[7]
Kalinite is a rare secondary mineral observed in the oxidized zone of mineral deposits, as efflorescence on alum slates, in caves, and as a volcanic sublimate.[8] It is associated with jarosite, KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6, and cuprian melanterite (pisanite), (Fe2+,Cu2+)SO4·7H2O, at Quetena, Chile.[9]