Corundum Mineral Data (original) (raw)

General Corundum Information

Chemical Formula:

Al2O3

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 101.96 gm

Aluminum 52.93 % Al 100.00 % Al2O3

Oxygen 47.07 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

(Al2O3)

Environment:

Contact and regionally metamorphosed rocks.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) Prehistoric

Locality:

Tchainit and Yakutia, Russia. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Probably derived from the Sanskrit, kuruvinda, meaning "ruby."

Name Pronunciation:

Corundum

Synonym:

ICSD 31545

Leucosapphire - colorless

PDF 43-1484

Ruby - red

Sapphire - blue

Corundum Image

Images:

	Corundum Comments: corundum (variety Sapphire). Location: Miass, Urals, Russia.Scale: 10 x 8 cm. © Fabre Minerals

Images:

	Corundum Zincohogbomite-2N2S Comments: Thin-Section (Plane Polarized Light) of a brown, twinned zincohögbomite-2N2S crystal with blue corundum. Location: Mikro-Lakka Emery deposit, Kerketeas Mt, Sámos Island, Aegean Islands Department, Greece.Scale: Picture size 1.1 mm. © Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

	Corundum Comments: Bright red ruby corundum crystals in white marble matrix. Location: Jagdalak (Jagdalek; Jagdalik) Ruby Mine, Sorobi District, Konar (Kunar; Konarh; Konarha; Nuristan) Province, Afghanistan.Scale: 4x3.5x3 cm. © John Betts - Fine Minerals

Corundum Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:2.72995

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.751, c = 12.97, Z = 6; V = 253.54 Den(Calc)= 4.01

Crystal System:

Trigonal - Hexagonal ScalenohedralH-M Symbol (3 2/m) Space Group: R 3c

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/Io): 2.085(1), 2.552(0.9), 1.601(0.8),

Forms:

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| | Forms:( 1 1 4) ( 2 0 1) ( 1 0 2) ( 1 0 1) ( 0 0 1) Warning: this large pop-up is very compute intensive and may not work well with some computers. | | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

Crystal Structure:

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| | Lewis J , Schwarzenbach D , Flack H D , Acta Crystallographica, Section A , 38 (1982) p.733-739, Electric field gradients and charge density in corundum alpha-Al2O3 View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Corundum [1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |

Physical Properties of Corundum

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Blue, Red, Yellow, Brown, Gray.

Density:

4 - 4.1, Average = 4.05

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent

Fracture:

Tough - Difficult to break apart as shown by fibrous minerals and most metals.

Habit:

Euhedral Crystals - Occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form.

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Habit:

Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.

Hardness:

9 - Corundum

Luminescence:

Sometimes Fluorescent, Long UV=red.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

none

Optical Properties of Corundum

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.089 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.08 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1905,KPDmeas= 0.1886,KC= 0.207
Ncalc = 1.83 - 1.85

Optical Data:

Uniaxial (-), e=1.76, w=1.768, bire=0.0080.

Calculated Properties of Corundum

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.93 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Corundum =4.01 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0002259597
Boson Index = 0.9997740403

Photoelectric:

PECorundum = 1.54 barns/electron
U=PECorundum x rElectron Density= 6.08 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Corundum is Not Radioactive

Corundum Classification

Dana Class:

04.03.01.01 (04)Simple Oxides

(04.03)with a cation charge of 3+ (A+++2 O3)

(04.03.01)Corundum-Hematite group (Rhombohedral: R-3c)

04.03.01.01 Corundum Al2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.03.01.02 Hematite Fe2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.03.01.03 Eskolaite Cr2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.03.01.04 Karelianite V2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.03.01.05 Tistarite! Ti2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

04.CB.05 04 - OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodate

04.C - Metal:Oxygen = 2:3, 3:5, and Similar

04.CB -With medium-sized cations

04.CB.05 Auroantimonate* AuSbO3 Ortho ? Ortho

04.CB.05 Geikielite MgTiO3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Brizziite-III NaSbO3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Brizziite-VII NaSbO3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Ecandrewsite (Zn,Fe,Mn)TiO3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Corundum Al2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.CB.05 Eskolaite Cr2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.CB.05 Hematite Fe2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.CB.05 Karelianite V2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

04.CB.05 Ilmenite FeTiO3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Melanostibite Mn(Sb,Fe)O3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Pyrophanite MnTiO3 R 3 3

04.CB.05 Romanite* (Fe,U,Pb)2(Ti,Fe)O4 Trig ? Trig

04.CB.05 Tistarite! Ti2O3 R 3c 3 2/m

Other Corundum Information

References:

NAME( Sinkankas66) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Sinkankas66)

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Corundum Specimen Label here :

Corundum

Al2O3
Dana No: 04.03.01.01 Strunz No: 04.CB.05
Locality:

Notes: