pollucite

Thân thiện

A geologist carefully examines a piece of pollucite in the field.

Definition

1. Noun:
   • A rare mineral: A naturally occurring, inorganic solid with a specific chemical composition and crystalline structure.
   • An important source of cesium: It is the principal ore mineral for the element cesium (chemical symbol Cs), a soft, silvery-gold alkali metal.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Geologists were excited to discover a vein of pollucite in the granite pegmatite.
  • The mining company extracts cesium primarily from pollucite.
  • Under UV light, some specimens of pollucite can exhibit fluorescence.

Advanced Usage

• In mineralogy and economic geology: The term is used specifically to denote the cesium-rich endmember of the zeolite group of minerals. Its chemical formula is often given as (Cs,Na)₂Al₂Si₄O₁₂·H₂O, indicating it contains cesium, sodium, aluminum, silicon, oxygen, and water.
  • The high cesium content makes pollucite a mineral of significant strategic and industrial importance.

Variants and Related Words

• Cesium (Caesium): (Noun) The chemical element (Cs) derived from pollucite.
• Zeolite: (Noun) The larger group of hydrated aluminosilicate minerals to which pollucite belongs.
• Pegmatite: (Noun) The type of coarse-grained igneous rock where pollucite is most commonly found.

Synonyms

• Cesium ore: A descriptive synonym highlighting its primary economic use.
• Caesium aluminosilicate: A technical name referring to its chemical composition.

Notes on Meaning

The word pollucite refers exclusively to the mineral itself. It is not used as a verb or adjective. Its significance is almost entirely technical, confined to fields like mineralogy, geology, and industrial mining for rare elements. The name derives from Pollux, a figure in Greek mythology, pairing with the mineral "castorite" (now known as petalite).

Học thuật

Noun

1. a rare mineral that is an important source of cesium