Minerals chemical classification

A.M. Gaudin Memorial Volume, M. C. Fuerstenau (ed.), AIME, 1 334 - 363 Povarennyk, A. S., 1972. Crystal Chemical Classification of Minerals (two vols.). New York Plenum Press... 

Povarennykh, A. S. 1972. Crystal Chemical Classification of Minerals. Plenum Press, New York. 

Christ, C. L., and J. R. Clark (1977). A crystal-chemical classification of borate structures with emphasis on hydrated borates. Phys. Chem. Minerals 2, 59-88. 

Dumitrescu and Kekedy used the FHDC procedure for the classification of mineral waters. Each sample was characterized by the analytical chemical data for eight major components CO2, HCO, Cl , Ca, Mg ", Fe, Na, and mineralization. Tentatively, classifications were made with a smaller number of components. The components present in greater concentration were successively omitted so as to investigate the possible influence on the classification of components present in smaller concentrations. Thus fuzzy hierarchical clustering was performed by considering successively only seven components (mineralization omitted), six constituents (mineralization and HCOj content omitted), or only five constituents (the previous and COj content omitted), respectively. With eight components the FHDC method yielded three clusters. To characterize the three distinct classes of water found, the total hardness (in German... 

The chemical classification of minerals, begun by Berzelius and Rose, was developed into a comprehensive crystallographic-chemical classification over a period of about 100 years, especially by Naumann, Dana, Groth and Hintze, and has been published in well-known manuals and tables. The latest tabular summary, published by P. v. Groth and K. Mieleitner, appeared in 1921. The enormous progress in chemical crystallography since Laue s discovery (1912) requires that a fundamental revision of the cmrent system-atics should be undertaken. 

Since there were many local and personal nuances that affected the chemical classification of the minerals used by physicians and farmers, I have compiled Tables 1 and 2 so that James Anderson s work can be compared to other studies that have been written about chemistry or mineralogy of his contemporaries. 

However, Goldschmidt s scheme only relates to the condensation of major elements into mineral phases. As the solar nebula hypothesis gained credence, it became clear that there are other element groupings which relate to the condensation of a high-temperature solar gas. These are the refractory elements - those which formed above the condensation temperature of the Mg silicates and Fe-Ni metal, at 1,300-1,400 K, the moderately volatile elements - those formed in the range 1,300-670 K, and the volatile elements - those that formed below the condensation temperature of FeS, at 670 K (Larimer, 1988). Palme and O Neill (2003) have proposed a cosmochemical/geo-chemical classification of the elements based on these two elemental groupings (Table 2.1). 

FIGURE 172. Chemical classification of minerals illustrated in Rene Haiiy, Traite de Mineralogie, Paris, 1801 (from the Othmer Library, CHF). 

Table 1.2 Associated minerals - their classification and chemical compositions...

In the nineteenth century, the fields of chemistry and physics developed rapidly. Jons Jacob Berzelius developed a chemical classification system for minerals. Another important development was the polarizing microscope, which was used to study the optical properties of minerals to aid in their identification. 

Only the more important of the numerous publications of Fourcroy can be mentioned many are on medical subjects and he was the originator of modem pathological chemistry. He analysed many drugs and mineral waters and laid stress on the value of chemistry in medicine and pharmacy, but avoided a one-sided enthusiasm in this region. He gave a chemical classification of mineral waters into acidulous, saline, sulphurous and fermginous, each class being subdivided so as to make nine orders and describes their chemical analysis. ... 

The crystal-chemical classification used in this chapter will help in the recognition of similarities among the many minerals that have been described, and new minerals may fill in some of... 

Frank-Kamenetsky, V. A., 1960. A crystallo-chemical classification of simple and interstratified clay minerals. Clay Min. Bull. 4 161. 

Although the size separation/classification methods are adequate in some cases to produce a final saleable mineral product, in a vast majority of cases these produce Httle separation of valuable minerals from gangue. Minerals can be separated from one another based on both physical and chemical properties (Fig. 8). Physical properties utilized in concentration include specific gravity, magnetic susceptibility, electrical conductivity, color, surface reflectance, and radioactivity level. Among the chemical properties, those of particle surfaces have been exploited in physico-chemical concentration methods such as flotation and flocculation. The main objective of concentration is to separate the valuable minerals into a small, concentrated mass which can be treated further to produce final mineral products. In some cases, these methods also produce a saleable product, especially in the case of industrial minerals. 

Clays (qv) are aluminosihcate minerals, some of which have definite chemical compositions. In regard to tar sands, however, clay is only a size classification and is usually deterrnined by a sedimentation method. According to the previous definition of fines, the fines fraction equals the sum of the silt and clay fractions. The clay fraction over a wide range of fines contents is a relatively constant 30% of the fines. 

For a long time the structural classification of the mineral todorokite was uncertain, until Turner and Buseck [4] could demonstrate by HRTEM investigations that the crystal structure of that mineral consists of triple chains of edge-sharing octahedra, which form [3 x 3] tunnels by further corner-sharing. These tunnels are partially filled by Mg2+, Ca2+, Na+, K+, and water (according to the chemical analysis of natural todorokites). In 1988 Post and Bish could perform a Rietveld structure determination from XRD data taken for a sample of natural todorokite [25], This diffraction study confirmed the results of Turner and Buseck. The cations... 

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