General Information
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| Chemical Formula: |
Be2SiO4 |
| Composition: |
Molecular Weight = 110.11 gm |
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Berylium16.37 % Be 45.43 % BeO |
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Silicon 25.51 % Si 54.57 % SiO2 |
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Oxygen 58.12 % O |
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______ ______ |
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100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OxIDE |
| Empirical Formula: |
Be2(SiO4) |
| Environment: |
Alpine fissures, pegmatites, and hydrothermally altered rocks. |
| Locality: |
Habachtal, Austria. Madagascar |
| Name Origin: |
From the Greek phenakos - "liar." |
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Phenakite Image
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| Prismatic, bi- terminated crystals of Phenakite |
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Click on the picture to go to facet Phenakite. |
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© Image by A. Darbellay |
Crystallography
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| Axial Ratios: |
a:c = 1:0.66164 |
| Cell Dimensions: |
a = 12.472, c = 8.252, Z = 18; V = 1,111.63 Den(Calc)= 2.96 |
| Crystal System: |
Trigonal-Rhomboedal H-M Symbol ( -3) Space Group: R3- |
| x Ray Diffraction: |
By Intensity(I/Io): 3.119(1)3.66(0.8)2.518(0.75) |
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Physical Properties
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| Cleavage: |
[1120] Distinct |
| Color: |
colorless, wine yellow, yellow, pink, or pinkish red. |
| Density: |
2.97 - 3, Average = 2.98 |
| Diaphaniety: |
Transparent to subtranslucent |
| Fracture: |
Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments. |
| Habits: |
Massive - Fibrous - Distinctly fibrous fine-grained forms., Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix., |
| Hardness: |
7.5-8 |
| Luminescence: |
Non-fluorescent. |
| Luster: |
Vitreous (Glassy) |
| Streak: |
white |
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Optical Properties
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| Optical Data: |
Uniaxial (+), w=1.654, e=1.67, bire=0.0160. |
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Classification
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| Dana Class: |
Nesosilicate Insular SiO4 Groups Only |
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with cations in [4] coordination |
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Phenakite group |
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- Phenakite Be2SiO4 R3- -3
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- Willemite Zn2SiO4 R3- -3
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- Eucryptite LiAlSiO4 R3- -3
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| Strunz Class: |
Silicates |
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Nesosilicates, with [SiO4]4- groups, cations of tetrahedric orientation [4] |
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STRUNZ - Silicates [Nesosilicates, with [SiO4]4- groups, cations of tetrahedric orientation [4] {Phenakite series}] |
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- Phenakite Be2SiO4 R3- -3
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- Willemite Zn2SiO4 R3- -3
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- Eucryptite LiAlSiO4 R3-
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