Chemistry:Davidite

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Davidite-(La)
Davidite-(La)-35242.jpg
Davidite-(La) from Kazakhstan
General
CategoryOxide minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)
(La,Ce,Ca)(Y,U)(Ti,Fe3+)20O38
Strunz classification4.CC.40
Crystal systemTrigonal
Crystal classRhombohedral (3)
H-M symbol: (3)
Space groupR3
Unit cella = 10.376, c = 20.91 [Å]; Z = 3
Identification
ColorBlack
FractureSubconchoidal to uneven
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness6 [1]
|re|er}}Vitreous
DiaphaneityOpaque, translucent in very thin fragments
Specific gravity4.33 to 4.48
Alters toMetamict
Other characteristicsRadioactive.svg Radioactive
References[2][3][4][5]

Davidite is a rare earth oxide mineral with chemical end members La and Ce. It exists in two forms:

  • Davidite-(La) (La,Ce,Ca)(Y,U)(Ti,Fe3+)20O38 discovered at Radium Hill mine, South Australia in 1906 and named by Douglas Mawson for Australian geologist Tannatt William Edgeworth David (1858-1934).[7]
  • Davidite-(Ce) (Ce,Le)(Y,U)(Ti,Fe3+)20O38 first described in 1960 from Vemork, Iveland, Norway .

References

  1. "Davidite-(La) Mineral Data". http://www.webmineral.com/data/Davidite-(La).shtml#.XAWfQnWYVhE. 
  2. Davidite-La in Handbook of Mineralogy
  3. Davidite-La on Mindat
  4. Davidite-(La) on Webmineral
  5. Davidite-(Ce) on Webmineral
  6. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine 85 (3): 291–320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. Bibcode2021MinM...85..291W. 
  7. Branagan, D.F. (2005): T.W. Edgeworth David: A Life: Geologist, Adventurer and "Knight in the Old Brown Hat", National Library of Australia, Canberra, p. 471. ISBN:0 642 10791 2