- Gadolinite
Gadolinite is a
mineral of a nearly black color and vitreous luster, and consisting principally of the silicates ofcerium ,lanthanum ,neodymium ,yttrium ,beryllium , andiron with formula: (Ce,La,Nd,Y)2FeBe2Si2O10. Called gadolinite-(Ce) or gadolinite-(Y) depending on the prominence of the variable element composition(namely, Y if it has more yttrium, and Ce if it has more cerium).Gadolinite is fairly rare, but it forms attractive crystals that some collectors desire. Its hardness is between 6.5 and 7, and its
specific gravity is between 4.0 and 4.7. It fractures in a conchoidal pattern. The mineral's streak is grayish-green.Gadolinite was named in 1800 for
Johan Gadolin , the Finnish mineralogist- chemist who first isolated an oxide of therare earth element yttrium from the mineral in 1792. The rare earthgadolinium was also named for him. However, gadolinite does not contain more than trace amounts ofgadolinium . When Gadolin analyzed this mineral, he missed an opportunity to discover a second element: what he thought was aluminum (alumina) was in fact an element that would not be officially discovered until 1798: beryllium (beryllia).ee also
*
List of minerals
*List of minerals named after people References
* [http://www.galleries.com/minerals/silicate/gadolini/gadolini.htm Gallery of Minerals]
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