| Tantite | |
| Category: | Oxide minerals |
| Formula: | Ta2O5 |
| Imasymbol: | Tan[1] |
| Molweight: | 441.89 g/mol |
| Strunz: | 4.EA.05 |
| Dana: | 04.06.06.01 |
| System: | Triclinic |
| Class: | Pedial (1) (same H-M symbol) |
| Symmetry: | P1 |
| Unit Cell: | a = 3.8 Å, b = 3.79 Å c = 35.74 Å; β = 90.18°; Z = 6 |
| Color: | Colorless |
| Cleavage: | None |
| Mohs: | 7 |
| Luster: | Adamantine |
| Streak: | White |
| Diaphaneity: | Transparent |
| Gravity: | 8.55 |
| Opticalprop: | Biaxial |
| References: | [2] [3] |
Tantite is a rare tantalum oxide mineral with formula: Ta2O5. Tantite forms transparent microscopic colorless triclinic - pedial crystals with an adamantine luster. It has a Mohs hardness of 7 and a high specific gravity of 8.45. Chemical analyses show minor inclusion (1.3%) of niobium oxide.
It was first described in 1983 for an occurrence in a pegmatite in the Kola peninsula, Russia. It has also been reported from a pegmatite complex in Florence County, Wisconsin. Associated mineral species include elbaite, lepidolite, spodumene, columbite-tantalite, wodginite, and microlite.