apatite
Sign in to saveApatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite, with high concentrations of OH−, F− and Cl− ion, respectively, in the crystal. The formula of the admixture of the three most common endmembers is written as Ca10(PO4)6(OH,F,Cl)2, and the crystal unit cell formulae of the individual minerals are written as Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, Ca10(PO4)6F2 and Ca10(PO4)6Cl2.
AI overview
Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals containing calcium and phosphate, with varieties distinguished by whether they contain hydroxyl, fluoride, or chloride ions in their crystal structure. These minerals are important industrial materials and also occur naturally in bones and teeth.
AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Apatite group
- Mineral.category
- Phosphate mineral
- Mineral.image
- Apatite on Siderite (13156440584).jpg
- Mineral.caption
- Apatite (purple), on siderite, from Portugal
- Mineral.formula
- Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH)
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Ap
- Mineral.strunz
- 8.BN.05
- Mineral.color
- Transparent to translucent, usually green, less often colorless, yellow, blue to violet, pink, brown.
- Mineral.habit
- Tabular, prismatic crystals, massive, compact or granular
- Mineral.system
- Hexagonal
- Mineral.class
- Dipyramidal (6/m) (same H-M symbol)
- Mineral.symmetry
Article
10 sectionsContents
- Geology
- Uses
- Gemology
- Use as an ore mineral
- Thermodynamics
- Lunar science
- Bio-leaching
- Apatite group and supergroup
- See also
- References
Apatite is a group of phosphate minerals, usually hydroxyapatite, fluorapatite and chlorapatite, with high concentrations of OH−, F− and Cl− ion, respectively, in the crystal. The formula of the admixture of the three most common endmembers is written as Ca10(PO4)6(OH,F,Cl)2, and the crystal unit cell formulae of the individual minerals are written as Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2, Ca10(PO4)6F2 and Ca10(PO4)6Cl2.
The mineral was named apatite by the German geologist Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1786, although the specific mineral he had described was reclassified as fluorapatite in 1860 by the German mineralogist Karl Friedrich August Rammelsberg. Apatite is often mistaken for other minerals. This tendency is reflected in the mineral's name, which is derived from the Greek word ἀπατάω (apatáō), which means to deceive.