bastnasite
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
Noun: 1. A yellow-to-brown mineral: A naturally occurring, solid inorganic substance with a characteristic yellow to brown color. 2. A source of rare earth elements: A mineral that is an important ore from which rare earth elements (a group of 17 chemically similar metallic elements) are extracted.
Usage Examples
- Noun:
- The geologist identified the specimen as bastnasite based on its color and crystal structure.
- Major deposits of bastnasite are mined for their high concentrations of cerium and lanthanum.
- Bastnasite is one of the most commercially significant sources of rare earth elements.
Advanced Usage
- Chemical Composition: Bastnasite is a fluorocarbonate mineral, primarily (Ce,La)CO₃F, where cerium (Ce) and lanthanum (La) are the main rare earth elements present.
- Economic Geology: In economic and geological contexts, "bastnasite" specifically refers to the mineral ore crucial for the rare earth industry, often contrasted with other sources like monazite.
Variants and Related Words
- Bastnäsite: An alternative spelling, often using the diaeresis (¨) over the 'a', which reflects the mineral's namesake location, Bastnäs, Sweden.
- Rare-earth mineral (n): A broader category of minerals containing rare earth elements, which includes bastnasite, monazite, and xenotime.
Synonyms
- Rare earth ore: A general term for minerals that are mined for rare earth elements.
- Fluorocarbonate mineral: A technical term describing its chemical class. (Note: This is a category, not a direct synonym for the specific mineral).
Related Terms
- Monazite (n): Another important phosphate mineral that is a source of rare earth elements, often found in different geological settings than bastnasite.
- Cerium (n): One of the primary rare earth elements obtained from bastnasite.
- Lanthanides (n): The series of 15 metallic elements from lanthanum to lutetium, plus scandium and yttrium, which constitute the rare earth elements sourced from minerals like bastnasite.
Noun
- a yellow-to-brown mineral that is a source of rare earth elements