Aluminite Mineral Data

Aluminite Mineral Data +

[Content and History] [Recent Issues] [Back Issues] [Subscriptions] [Contacts]
See Also: [Diamond Crystals] [Excalibur Minerals] [Hudson Institute] [Minerals on CDROM]
Mineral News was founded some twenty years ago and has developed a following of
avid mineral collectors seeking timely information about new finds and other items
of interest to the collector community. Articles are solicited from collector and scientific authors.

General Aluminite Information

Chemical Formula:

Al2(SO4)(OH)4·7(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 344.16 gm

Aluminum 15.68 % Al 29.63 % Al₂O₃

Hydrogen 5.27 % H 47.11 % H₂O

Sulfur 9.32 % S 23.26 % SO₃

Oxygen 69.73 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Al₂(SO₄)(OH)₄·7(H₂O)

Environment:

Formed in recent or Tertiary clays, marls, and lignites by the action of sulfate solutions derived from the alteration of pyrite or marcasite on aluminous silicates.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1807

Locality:

Halle, Saxony, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after its chemical composition.

Synonym:

ICSD 2234

PDF 43-669

Websterite

Aluminite Image

Images:

Aluminite

Comments: Snow-white, very pure nodules of aluminite.
Location: Newhaven, Sussex, Great Britain. Scale: 5.5 x 3 cm.
© John Veevaert

Aluminite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.4774:1:0.7508

Cell Dimensions:

a = 7.44, b = 15.583, c = 11.7, Z = 4; beta = 110.18° V = 1,273.20 Den(Calc)= 1.80

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P 2₁/c

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 8.977(1), 7.791(0.87), 4.696(0.48),

Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
Help on Above

Sabelli C , Ferroni R T , Acta Crystallographica, Section B , 34 (1978) p.2407-2412, The crystal structure of aluminite, Note: anisotropic displacement factors from ICSD

Physical Properties of Aluminite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

White, Grayish white.

Density:

1.66 - 1.7, Average = 1.68

Diaphaniety:

Opaque

Fracture:

Earthy - Dull, clay-like fractures with no visible crystalline affinities, (e.g. howlite).

Habit:

Botryoidal - "Grape-like" rounded forms (e.g.. malachite).

Habit:

Earthy - Dull, clay-like texture with no visible crystalline affinities, (e.g. howlite).

Habit:

Mammillary - Larger "breast-like" rounded forms resembling botryoidal (e.g. malachite).

Hardness:

1 - Talc

Luminescence:

Fluorescent.

Luster:

Earthy (Dull)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Aluminite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.052 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.018 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.258,KPDmeas= 0.2764,KC= 0.2627

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.459, b=1.464, g=1.47, bire=0.0110, 2V(Calc)=86, 2V(Meas)=90. Dispersion none.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Aluminite

Electron Density:

r_electron=1.88 gm/cc
note: r_Aluminite=1.80 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00104
Boson Index = 0.99896

Photoelectric:

PE_Aluminite= 1.15 barns/electron
U=PE_Aluminite x r_electron= 2.16 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Aluminite is Not Radioactive

Aluminite Classification

Dana Class:

31.7.4.1 (31)Hydrated Sulfates Containing Hydroxyl or Halogen

(31.7)where (A+ B++)2 (XO4) Zq·x(H2O)

(31.7.4)Dana Group

31.7.4.1 Aluminite Al2(SO4)(OH)4·7(H2O) P 2₁/c 2/m

Strunz Class:

VI/D.06-40 VI - Sulfates,Chromates,Molybdates and Tungstates

VI/D - Water-bearing sulfates with unfamiliar anions. cations of medium size

VI/D.06 - Aluminite series, Jurbanite - Zaherite

VI/D.06-10 Jurbanite Al(SO4)(OH)·5(H2O) P 2₁/n 2/m

VI/D.06-20 Khademite Al(SO4)F·5(H2O) Pcab 2/m 2/m 2/m

VI/D.06-20* Rostite AlSO4(OH,F)·5(H2O) Pcba 2/m 2/m 2/m

VI/D.06-30 Meta-aluminite Al2(SO4)(OH)4·5(H2O) P 2₁/c ? 2/m

VI/D.06-40 Aluminite Al2(SO4)(OH)4·7(H2O) P 2₁/c 2/m

VI/D.06-50 Basaluminite Al4(SO4)(OH)10·5(H2O) P 2₁ 2

VI/D.06-60 Felsobanyaite Al4(SO4)(OH)10·5(H2O) Unk Hex

VI/D.06-70 Hydrobasaluminite Al4(SO4)(OH)10·12-36(H2O) Unk. Mono

VI/D.06-80 Zaherite Al12(SO4)5(OH)26·20H20 P1 or P1 Tri

Other Aluminite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Ford32)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Aluminite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - Google Images
6 - Google Scholar
7 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
9 - MinDAT
10 - MinMax(Deutsch)
11 - MinMax(English)
12 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Aluminite using:

[ALTAVISTA] [AOL] [All-The-Web] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [MAMMA] [MSN.COM] [Netscape] [Scirus] [Teoma] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Aluminite :

AA Mineral Specimens

B & L Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Auctions

John Betts Fine Minerals

Mason's Minerals

Mineral News

Mineral of the Month Club

MineralsWeb Fine Minerals

The GeoZone

Wrights Rock Shop

Translate Aluminite Mineral Data :

Ask about Aluminite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Aluminite Specimen Label here :

Aluminite

Al2(SO4)(OH)4·7(H2O)
Dana No: 31.7.4.1 Strunz No: VI/D.06-40
Locality:

Notes: