Chemistry:Kyawthuite
| Kyawthuite | |
|---|---|
 The only known kyawthuite sample, on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County | |
| General | |
| Category | Oxide mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | BiSbO4 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | I2/c |
| Unit cell | a = 5.46 Å, b = 4.89 Å c = 11.85 Å, β = 101.20° (approximated); Z = 4 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Reddish-orange |
| Mohs scale hardness | 5 1/2 |
| Density | 8.256 g/cm³ |
| References | [1][2] |
Kyawthuite is an extremely rare mineral[1] with formula BiSbO4.[2] It is a natural bismuth antimonate, in which bismuth has oxidation state +3, and antimony oxidation state +5.[4]
The only known sample of kyawthuite is on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Description
Kyawthuite is monoclinic, with space group I2/c, and is isostructural with clinocervantite,[1] its trivalent-antimony-analogue.[5] Kyawthuite is an antimony-analogue of clinobisvanite.[6]
Occurrence
Kyawthuite was discovered in the vicinity of Mogok in Myanmar, an area famous for its variety of gemstone minerals,[7] in 2010 and was subsequently identified as being a new specimen by Dr. Kyaw Thu. The International Mineralogical Association officially recognised kyawthuite as a new mineral in 2015.[8]
Only one 0.3-gram sample of the naturally occurring form of this mineral is documented, and it is stored and on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.[9][10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Kyawthuite: Kyawthuite mineral information and data". http://www.mindat.org/min-46909.html. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Kampf, A.R., Rossman, G.R. and Ma, C. (2015) Kyawthuite, IMA 2015-078. CNMNC Newsletter No. 28, December 2015, 1863; Mineralogical Magazine 79, 1859–1864
- ↑ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine 85 (3): 291–320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. Bibcode: 2021MinM...85..291W.
- ↑ Kampf, Anthony R.; Rossman, George R.; Ma, Chi; Williams, Peter A. (2017-06-01). "Kyawthuite, Bi3+Sb5+O4, a new gem mineral from Mogok, Burma (Myanmar)". Mineralogical Magazine 81 (3): 477–484. doi:10.1180/minmag.2016.080.102. ISSN 0026-461X. https://doi.org/10.1180/minmag.2016.080.102.
- ↑ "Clinocervantite: Clinocervantite mineral information and data". http://www.mindat.org/min-6879.html. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ↑ "Clinobisvanite: Clinobisvanite mineral information and data". http://www.mindat.org/min-1067.html. Retrieved 2016-03-09.
- ↑ "Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Division, Myanmar - Mindat.org". http://www.mindat.org/loc-24345.html. Retrieved 2016-03-04.
- ↑ Puiu, Tibi (2025-07-30). "Meet the world's rarest mineral. It was found only once" (in en-US). https://www.zmescience.com/science/geology/world-rarest-mineral-kyawthuite/.
- ↑ Luntz, Stephen (26 January 2023). "There Is Only One Specimen Of The Rarest Mineral On Earth" (in en). https://www.iflscience.com/there-is-only-one-specimen-of-the-rarest-mineral-on-earth-67276.
- ↑ Starr, Michelle, The World's Rarest Mineral Is So Rare It's Only Ever Been Found Once , Science Alert, November 29, 2024
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