Whewellite Mineral Data

Whewellite Mineral Data +

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General Whewellite Information

Chemical Formula:

Ca(C2O4)·(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 146.11 gm

Calcium 27.43 % Ca 38.38 % CaO

Hydrogen 1.38 % H 12.33 % H₂O

Carbon 16.44 % C 49.29 % C₂O₃

Oxygen 54.75 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaC₂O₄·(H₂O)

Environment:

The mineral is deposited from low temperature hydrothermal solutions which have come into contact with carboniferous lithologies, releasing methane, such as in graphitic schists or, primarily, from areas surrounding coa

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1852

Locality:

The classic locality occurs in the anthracite deposits of the Doehlener Basin of Freital and Burgk, where clear crystals of up to 2 cm, mostly twinned, are found in association with ca Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after the British mineralogist, crystallographer and natural philosopher William Whewell (1794-1866), professor of mineralogy at Cambridge.

Synonym:

Calcium Oxalate

ICSD 30782

PDF 20-231

Whewellite Image

Images:

Whewellite

Comments: Colorless, twinned crystal of Whewellite.
Location: Burgk, near Dresden, Saxony, Germany. Scale: Crystal size 7 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Whewellite

Comments: White crystal of whewellite, perched on a spray of brown calcite crystals.
Location: Shaft 21, Schlema, Hartenstein, Germany. Scale: 7 x 6 x 4 cm.
© Rob Lavinsky

Whewellite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.431:1:0.6875

Cell Dimensions:

a = 6.276, b = 14.561, c = 10.012, Z = 8; beta = 107.083° V = 874.58 Den(Calc)= 2.22

Crystal System:

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

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.65(1), 5.93(1), 2.968(0.8),

Forms:

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Forms: [ 0 1 4] [ 0 1 0] [ 1 2 0] [ 1 1 0] [ 1 0 0] [ 0 0 1]

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Crystal Structure:

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Tazzoli V , Domeneghetti M C , American Mineralogist , 65 (1980) p.327-334, The crystal structures of whewellite and weddellite: re-examination and, comparison

Physical Properties of Whewellite

Cleavage:

[101] Good, [010] Good, [110] Good

Color:

Brownish, Colorless, Gray, Yellow, Yellow brown.

Density:

2.21 - 2.23, Average = 2.21

Diaphaniety:

Transparent to translucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Habit:

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

Habit:

Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.

Hardness:

2.5-3 - Finger Nail-Calcite

Luminescence:

Fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous - Pearly

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Whewellite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -1.077 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -1.077 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2545,KPDmeas= 0.2545,KC= 0.1225

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.49, b=1.555, g=1.65, bire=0.1600, 2V(Calc)=84, 2V(Meas)=80. Dispersion none.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

colorless.

Pleochroism (z):

colorless.

Calculated Properties of Whewellite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.25 gm/cc
note: r_Whewellite=2.22 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00244
Boson Index = 0.99756

Photoelectric:

PE_Whewellite= 3.53 barns/electron
U=PE_Whewellite x r_electron= 7.93 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Whewellite is Not Radioactive

Whewellite Classification

Dana Class:

50.1.1.1 (50)Salts of Organic Acids

(50.1)(Oxalates)

(50.1.1)Dana Group

50.1.1.1 Whewellite Ca(C2O4)·(H2O) P 2₁/n 2/m

Strunz Class:

IX/A.01-10 IX - Organic compunds

IX/A - Oxalates. Salts from organic acids. [C2O4]2- arranged after increasing cation size

IX/A.01 - Whewellite - Wheatleyite series

IX/A.01-05 Natroxalate! Na2C2O4 P 2₁/a 2/m

IX/A.01-10 Whewellite Ca(C2O4)·(H2O) P 2₁/n 2/m

IX/A.01-20 Weddellite Ca(C2O4)·2(H2O) I 4/m 4/m

IX/A.01-25 Caoxite! Ca(C2O4)·3(H2O) P1 1

IX/A.01-28 Novgorodovaite! Ca2(C2O4)Cl2·2(H2O) I2/m 2/m

IX/A.01-30 Oxammite (NH4)2(C2O4)·(H2O) P 2₁2₁2 2 2 2

IX/A.01-40 Glushinskite Mg(C2O4)·2(H2O) C 2/c 2/m

IX/A.01-50 Humboldtine Fe(C2O4)·2(H2O) I2/a 2/m

IX/A.01-55 Lindbergite! Mn(C2O4)·2(H2O) C 2/c 2/m

IX/A.01-60 Minguzzite K3Fe(C2O4)3·3(H2O) P 2₁/c 2/m

IX/A.01-70 Zhemchuzhnikovite NaMg(Al,Fe)(C2O4)3·8(H2O) Unk Trig

IX/A.01-80 Stepanovite NaMgFe(C2O4)3·8-9(H2O) Unk Trig

IX/A.01-90 Moolooite Cu(C2O4)·n(H2O)(n<1) Unk Ortho

IX/A.01-100 Wheatleyite Na2Cu(C2O4)2·2(H2O) P1 1

IX/A.01-110 Coskrenite-(Ce)! (Ce,Nd,La)2(SO4)2(C2O4)·8(H2O) C 2/c 2/m

IX/A.01-120 Levinsonite-(Y)! (Y,Nd,La)Al(SO4)2(C2O4)·12(H2O) P 2/n 2/m

IX/A.01-130 Zugshunstite-(Ce)! (Ce,Nd,La)Al(SO4)2(C2O4)·8(H2O) C 2/c 2/m

Other Whewellite Information

References:

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

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Whewellite

Ca(C2O4)·(H2O)
Dana No: 50.1.1.1 Strunz No: IX/A.01-10
Locality:

Notes: