Gwihabaite Mineral Data

General Gwihabaite Information

Chemical Formula:

(NH4,K)(NO3)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 85.31 gm

Potassium 11.46 % K

Hydrogen 3.54 % H

Nitrogen 28.73 % N

Oxygen 56.26 % O

______

100.00 %

Empirical Formula:

(NH₄)_0.75K_0.25(NO₃)

Environment:

As efflorescences on the walls, boulders, bat quano, and earthy floor of the cave and as saline crusts coating boulders in a dolomite hill in the Kalahari Basin.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1999 (Dana # Added)

Locality:

Gewihaba Cave (also known as Drotsky's Cave), northwestern Botswana, 280 km west of Maun. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after it's locality.

Name Pronunciation:

Gwihabaite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 28078

IMA1994-011

Nitrammite

PDF 50-1566

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Gwihabaite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.9251:1:0.7557

Cell Dimensions:

a = 7.075, b = 7.647, c = 5.779, Z = 4; V = 312.66 Den(Calc)= 1.81

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DipyramidalH-M Symbol (2/m 2/m 2/m) Space Group: Pbnm

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.194(1), 3.212(0.95), 2.595(0.9),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 1 0 0) ( 1 1 1) ( 1 1 0)

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Crystal Structure:

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Amoros J L , Arrese F , Canut M , Zeitschrift fur Kristallographie , 117 (1962) p.92-107, The crystal structure of the low-temperature phase of NH4NO3(V) at -150 deg C, Note: sample at T = -150 C, this is a low temperature form

Physical Properties of Gwihabaite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Colorless, White.

Density:

1.77

Diaphaneity:

Transparent

Habit:

Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.

Habit:

Efflorescences - Crystals covering matrix, generally produced from transpiro-evaporation.

Hardness:

5 - Apatite

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Gwihabaite

Optical Data:

Biaxial (-), a=1.458, b=1.527, g=1.599, bire=0.1410, 2V(Calc)=86, 2V(Meas)=90. Dispersion none.

Calculated Properties of Gwihabaite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=1.87 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Gwihabaite =1.81 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.28
Boson Index = 0.72

Photoelectric:

PE_Gwihabaite= 1.40 barns/electron
U=PE_Gwihabaite x r_electron= 2.62 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 170.55 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Gwihabaite per GRapi unit = 0.59 (%)

Estimated Radioactivity from Gwihabaite - barely detectable

Gwihabaite Classification

Dana Class:

18.01.02.02 (18)Simple Nitrates

(18.01)where A xNO3 · x(H2O), x can equal zero

(18.01.02)Niter Series

18.01.02.01 Niter KNO3 Pmcn 2/m 2/m 2/m

18.01.02.02 Gwihabaite! (NH4,K)(NO3) Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

05.NA.15 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)

05.N - NITRATES

05.NA -Without OH or H2O

05.NA.15 Gwihabaite! (NH4,K)(NO3) Pbnm 2/m 2/m 2/m

Other Gwihabaite Information

References:

NAME( MinRec) PHYS. PROP.(Am.Min.,Vol.84,p194,1999) OPTIC PROP.(MinRec)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Gwihabaite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - GeoScienceWorld
4 - Google Images
5 - Google Scholar
6 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
7 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
8 - MinDAT
9 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
10 - Online Mineral Museum
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info

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

Gwihabaite

(NH4,K)(NO3)
Dana No: 18.01.02.02 Strunz No: 05.NA.15
Locality:

Notes: