belite

Belite is an industrial mineral important in Portland cement manufacture. Its main constituent is dicalcium silicate, Ca2SiO4, sometimes formulated as 2 CaO · SiO2 (C2S in cement chemist notation).

== Etymology == The name was given by Alfred Elis Törnebohm in 1897 to a crystal identified in microscopic investigation of Portland cement. Belite is a name in common use in the cement industry, but is not a recognised mineral name. It occurs naturally as the mineral larnite, the name being derived from Larne, Northern Ireland, the closest town to Scawt Hill where it was discovered.