# Gadolinite

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{{Expand German|date=January 2024}}
{{Short description|Nesosilicate mineral}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name        = Gadolinite
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| image       = Gadolinitas.jpg
| imagesize   = 260px
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| caption     = Gadolinite (black portion at top)
| category    = [Nesosilicate](/source/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>
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| strunz      = 9.AJ.20
| system      = [Monoclinic](/source/Monoclinic)
| class       = Prismatic (2/m) <br /><small>(same [H-M symbol](/source/H-M_symbol))</small>
| symmetry    = ''P2''<sub>1</sub>/n
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'''Gadolinite''', sometimes known as '''ytterbite''', is a [silicate mineral](/source/silicate_mineral) consisting principally of the silicates of [cerium](/source/cerium), [lanthanum](/source/lanthanum), [neodymium](/source/neodymium), [yttrium](/source/yttrium), [beryllium](/source/beryllium), and [iron](/source/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](/source/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 [luster](/source/Lustre_(mineralogy)). The [hardness](/source/Mohs_scale_of_mineral_hardness) is between 6.5 and 7 on the [Mohs scale](/source/Mohs_scale_of_mineral_hardness), and the [specific gravity](/source/specific_gravity) is between 4.0 and 4.7. It fractures in a [conchoidal](/source/conchoidal) pattern and [streaks](/source/streak_(mineralogy)) grayish-green. It was also thought to exhibit [pyrognomic](/source/pyrognomic) properties, as it can emit visible light when heated to relatively low [temperature](/source/temperature)s, but the scientific consensus is that this is the product of [thermoluminescence](/source/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](/source/Johan_Gadolin), the [Finnish](/source/Finland) mineralogist-chemist who first isolated an oxide of the [rare-earth element](/source/rare-earth_element) yttrium from the mineral in 1792. The rare earth [gadolinium](/source/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](/source/aluminium) (alumina) was in fact [beryllium](/source/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](/source/ceria), then [lanthana](/source/lanthana), and subsequently [yttria](/source/yttria), [erbia](/source/erbia), and [terbia](/source/terbia). In order of date discovered, the list of elements includes [cerium](/source/cerium), [lanthanum](/source/lanthanum), [erbium](/source/erbium), [terbium](/source/terbium), [yttrium](/source/yttrium), [ytterbium](/source/ytterbium), [holmium](/source/holmium), [thulium](/source/thulium), [scandium](/source/scandium), [praseodymium](/source/praseodymium), [neodymium](/source/neodymium) and [dysprosium](/source/dysprosium). Several of these new elements were either discovered or isolated by [Carl Gustaf Mosander](/source/Carl_Gustaf_Mosander) in the 1830s and 1840s.

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

==See also==
* [List of minerals](/source/List_of_minerals)
* [List of minerals named after people](/source/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

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Gadolinite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadolinite) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gadolinite?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.