Cahnite

Cahnite

Cahnite on rhodonite
General
Category Borate minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)		 Ca2B[AsO4](OH)4
Strunz classification 06.AC.70
Identification
Color Colourless to white
Cleavage Perfect
On {110}
Tenacity Brittle
Mohs scale hardness 3
Luster Vitreous
Diaphaneity Transparent
Density 3.156 g/cm3

Cahnite (Cahnit in German, Cahnita in Spanish, Канит in Russian[1]) is a brittle white or colorless mineral that has perfect cleavage and is usually transparent. It usually forms tetragonal-shaped crystals and it has a hardness of 3 mohs.[2][3] Cahnite was discovered in the year 1921.[1] It was named Cahnite to honor Lazard Cahn (1865–1940), who was a mineral collector and dealer.[2] It is usually found in the Franklin Mine, in Franklin, New Jersey.[3][2] Until the year 2002, when a sample of cahnite was found in Japan, that was the only known place that cahnite was located.[4] The geological environment that it occurs in is in pegmatites cutting a changed zinc orebody.[1][2][3] The chemical formula for cahnite is Ca2B[AsO4](OH)4.[3][5][6] It is made up of 26.91% calcium, 3.63% boron, 25.15% arsenic, 1.35% hydrogen, and 42.96% oxygen. It has a molecular weight of 297.91 grams.[3] Cahnite is not radioactive.[2] Cahnite is associated with these other minerals: willemite, rhodonite, pyrochroite, hedyphane, datolite, and baryte.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Mindat data sheet for Cahnite.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Mineral Data sheet for Cahnite.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Database entry from Mineral Collecting.
  4. ↑ Article stating that veins of cahnite were found in Okayama Prefecture.
  5. ↑ Database entry for Cahnite from Mincryst.
  6. ↑ Database entry for Cahnite from Japanese database.
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