| Tellurite | |
|---|---|
Tellurite mineral |
|
| General | |
| Category | Oxide minerals |
| Chemical formula | TeO2 |
| Strunz classification | 04.DE.20 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Yellow to white |
| Crystal habit | Prismatic to acicular crystals |
| Crystal system | Orthorhombic |
| Cleavage | Perfect on {010} |
| Mohs scale hardness | 2 |
| Luster | Sub-adamantine |
| Diaphaneity | transparent to opaque |
| Specific gravity | 5.88 - 5.92 |
| Optical properties | Biaxial (-) |
| Refractive index | nα = 2.000 nβ = 2.180 nγ = 2.350 |
| Birefringence | δ = 0.350 |
| References | [1][2] |
Tellurite is a rare oxide mineral composed of tellurium dioxide (TeO2).
It occurs as prismatic to acicular transparent yellow to white orthorhombic crystals. It occurs in the oxidation zone of mineral deposits in association with native tellurium, emmonsite and other tellurium minerals. Its name comes from Tellus, which is the Latin name for the planet Earth. [1][2]