Triphylite Mineral Data

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General Triphylite Information

Chemical Formula:

LiFe++PO4

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 157.76 gm

Lithium 4.40 % Li 9.47 % Li₂O

Iron 35.40 % Fe 45.54 % FeO

Phosphorus 19.63 % P 44.99 % P₂O₅

Oxygen 40.57 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

LiFe²⁺(PO₄)

Environment:

Secondary mineral commonly pseudomorphic of the original species.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1834

Locality:

Branchville, Connecticut, USA. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek tri - "threefold" and fylon - "family" in allusion to the three cations in the formula.

Name Pronunciation:

Triphylite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 72545

PDF 40-1499

Triphylite Image

Images:

Triphylite

Comments: Dark gray-blue prismatic triphylite crystals in pegmatite rock.
Location: Newry, Oxford County, Maine, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Triphylite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.5819:1:0.454

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.0285, b = 10.3586, c = 4.7031, Z = 4; V = 293.69 Den(Calc)= 3.57

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DipyramidalH-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: Pbnm

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.54(1), 3.51(0.9), 4.29(0.9),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 0 1 0) ( 1 2 0) ( 0 2 1) ( 0 1 1) ( 1 0 0)

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Crystal Structure:

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Losey A , Rakovan J F , Hughes J M , Francis C A , Dyar M D , The Canadian Mineralogist , 42 (2004) p.1105-1115, Structural variation in the lithiophilite-triphylite series, and other olivine-group structures, Sample: Trip50, Locality: BB#7 Quarry, Norway, Maine

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Triphylite
[1] [2]

Physical Properties of Triphylite

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect, {110} Good

Color:

Gray, Bluish gray, Brownish, Blackish.

Density:

3.4 - 3.6, Average = 3.5

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent

Fracture:

Uneven - Flat surfaces (not cleavage) fractured in an uneven pattern.

Habit:

Massive - Granular - Common texture observed in granite and other igneous rock.

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Hardness:

4-5 - Fluorite-Apatite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Greasy (Oily)

Streak:

grayish white

Optical Properties of Triphylite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.006 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.013 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1944,KPDmeas= 0.1983,KC= 0.197
Ncalc = 1.67 - 1.71

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+/-), a=1.689-1.694, b=1.689-1.695, g=1.695-1.702, bire=0.0060-0.0080

Calculated Properties of Triphylite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.37 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Triphylite =3.50 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_Triphylite= 11.65 barns/electron
U=PE_Triphylite x rElectron Density= 39.29 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Triphylite is Not Radioactive

Triphylite Classification

Dana Class:

38.01.01.01 (38)Anhydrous Phosphates, etc

(38.01)A+ B++ XO4

(38.01.01)Triphylite Group

38.01.01.01 Triphylite LiFePO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

38.01.01.02 Lithiophilite LiMnPO4 Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

38.01.01.03 Natrophilite NaMnPO4 Pnam 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

08.AB.10 08 - PHOSPHATES, ARSENATES, VANADATES

08.A - Phosphates, etc. without additional anions, without H2O

08.AB -With medium-sized cations

08.AB.10 Ferrisicklerite Li(Fe,Mn)PO4 Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.AB.10 Heterosite FePO4 Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.AB.10 Natrophilite NaMnPO4 Pnam 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.AB.10 Lithiophilite LiMnPO4 Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.AB.10 Purpurite MnPO4 Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.AB.10 Sicklerite Li(Mn,Fe)PO4 Pmnb 2/m 2/m 2/m

08.AB.10 Simferite Li(Mg,Fe,Mn)2(PO4)2 Pbnm or Pbn21 Ortho

08.AB.10 Triphylite LiFePO4 Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Other Triphylite Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Triphylite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - GeoScienceWorld
7 - Google Images
8 - Google Scholar
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
11 - MinDAT
12 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
13 - Online Mineral Museum
14 - QUT Mineral Atlas
15 - Ruff.Info
16 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

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

Triphylite

LiFe++PO4
Dana No: 38.01.01.01 Strunz No: 08.AB.10
Locality:

Notes: