Editing Gadolinite

{{Expand German|date=January 2024}}
{{Short description|Nesosilicate mineral}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name        = Gadolinite
| boxwidth    =
| boxbgcolor  =
| image       = Gadolinitas.jpg
| imagesize   = 260px
| alt         =
| caption     = Gadolinite (black portion at top)
| category    = [[Nesosilicate]]
| formula     = {{chem2|(Ce,La,Nd,Y)2FeBe2Si2O10}}
| IMAsymbol   = Gad<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| molweight   =
| strunz      = 9.AJ.20
| system      = [[Monoclinic]]
| class       = Prismatic (2/m) <br /><small>(same [[H-M symbol]])</small>
| symmetry    = ''P2''<sub>1</sub>/n
| unit cell   =
| color       =
| colour      =
| habit       =
| twinning    =
| cleavage    =
| fracture    =
| tenacity    =
| mohs        =
| luster      =
| streak      =
| diaphaneity =
| gravity     =
| density     =
| polish      =
| opticalprop =
| refractive  =
| birefringence =
| pleochroism =
| 2V          =
| dispersion  =
| extinction  =
| length fast/slow =
| fluorescence =
| absorption  =
| melt        =
| fusibility  =
| diagnostic  =
| solubility  =
| impurities  =
| alteration  =
| other       =
| prop1       =
| prop1text   =
| references  =
}}

'''Gadolinite''', sometimes known as '''ytterbite''', is a [[silicate mineral]] consisting principally of the silicates of [[cerium]], [[lanthanum]], [[neodymium]], [[yttrium]], [[beryllium]], and [[iron]] with the formula {{chem2|(Ce,La,Nd,Y)2FeBe2Si2O10}}. It is called gadolinite-(Ce) or gadolinite-(Y), depending on the prominent composing element (Y if yttrium predominates, and Ce if cerium). It may contain 35.5% yttria sub-group rare earths, 2.2% ceria earths, as much as to 11.6% BeO, and traces of [[thorium]]. It is found in Sweden, Norway, and the US (Texas and Colorado).

==Characteristics==
Gadolinite is fairly rare and typically occurs as well-formed crystals. It is nearly black in color and has a vitreous [[Lustre (mineralogy)|luster]]. The [[Mohs scale of mineral hardness|hardness]] is between 6.5 and 7 on the [[Mohs scale of mineral hardness|Mohs scale]], and the [[specific gravity]] is between 4.0 and 4.7. It fractures in a [[conchoidal]] pattern and [[streak (mineralogy)|streaks]] grayish-green. It was also thought to exhibit [[pyrognomic]] properties, as it can emit visible light when heated to relatively low [[temperature]]s, but the scientific consensus is that this is the product of [[thermoluminescence]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Frondel |first1=Clifford |title=Systematic mineralogy of uranium and thorium |journal=U.S. Geological Survey Bulletin |date=1958 |volume=1064 |doi=10.3133/b1064|doi-access=free |bibcode=1958usgs.rept....6F }}</ref><ref>Schwartz K., Lang M. (2016) Mineral Defects. In: White W. (eds) Encyclopedia of Geochemistry. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Cham</ref>

==Name and discovery==
Gadolinite was named in 1800 for [[Johan Gadolin]], the [[Finland|Finnish]] mineralogist-chemist who first isolated an oxide of the [[rare-earth element]] yttrium from the mineral in 1792. The rare earth [[gadolinium]] was also named after him. However, gadolinite does not contain more than trace amounts of gadolinium. When Gadolin analyzed this mineral, he missed an opportunity to discover a second element: the element he thought was [[aluminium]] (alumina) was in fact [[beryllium]] (beryllia), an element that was not officially identified until 1798.

Several elements were discovered as a consequence of lengthy analysis and decomposition of the ore gadolinite.{{Citation needed|date=July 2020}} As the ore was progressively analysed, the residue was first given the label [[ceria]], then [[lanthana]], and subsequently [[yttria]], [[erbia]], and [[terbia]]. In order of date discovered, the list of elements includes [[cerium]], [[lanthanum]], [[erbium]], [[terbium]], [[yttrium]], [[ytterbium]], [[holmium]], [[thulium]], [[scandium]], [[praseodymium]], [[neodymium]] and [[dysprosium]]. Several of these new elements were either discovered or isolated by [[Carl Gustaf Mosander]] in the 1830s and 1840s.

==Uses==
Gadolinite and [[euxenite]] are quite abundant and are future sources of yttrium sub group rare earths. At present, these elements are recovered from [[monazite]] concentrates (after recovery of ceria sub-group metals).

==See also==
* [[List of minerals]]
* [[List of minerals named after people]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* [http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/gadolinitece.pdf Gadolinite–(Ce) on Handbook of Mineralogy]
* [http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/gadolinitey.pdf Gadolinite–(Y) on Handbook of Mineralogy]
* [http://www.mindat.org/min-1627.html Gadolinite–(Ce) on Mindat]
* [http://www.mindat.org/min-1628.html Gadolinite–(Y) on Mindat]
* [http://www.galleries.com/minerals/silicate/gadolini/gadolini.htm Gallery of Minerals]

[[Category:Lanthanide minerals]]
[[Category:Beryllium minerals]]
[[Category:Iron(II) minerals]]
[[Category:Nesosilicates]]
[[Category:Monoclinic minerals]]
[[Category:Minerals in space group 14]]
[[Category:Minerals described in 1800]]