{{short description|Rare bismuth fluoride mineral}} {{Infobox mineral | name = Gananite | category = Halide mineral | boxwidth = | boxbgcolor = | image = | caption = | formula = BiF<sub>3</sub> | IMAsymbol = Gan<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> | molweight = | strunz = 3.AC.20 | system = Cubic | class = Hextetrahedral ({{overline|4}}3m) <br/>H-M symbol: ({{overline|4}} 3m) | symmetry = ''P''{{overline|4}}3m | unit cell = | color = Brown to black, greenish black | habit = Aggregates | twinning = | cleavage = | fracture = Uneven | tenacity = Brittle | mohs = 3.5 | luster = Resinous to semimetallic | refractive = | opticalprop = Isotropic | birefringence = N/A | pleochroism = Non-Pleochroic | streak = Dark grey | gravity = 8.928 calculated | melt = | fusibility = | diagnostic = | solubility = | diaphaneity = Subtranslucent to Opaque | other = | references = <ref name=HBM>[http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/gananite.pdf "Gananite"], Mineral Data Publishing, 2005, accessed 16 December 2010.</ref><ref>[http://www.webmineral.com/data/Gananite.shtml Gananite Mineral Data], accessed 16 December 2010.</ref> }}
'''Gananite''' ({{zh|t=贛南礦|s=赣南矿|p=gànnánkuàng}}) is a rare bismuth fluoride mineral form of bismuth trifluoride with a general formula of BiF<sub>3</sub>.<ref name=Mindat>[http://www.mindat.org/min-1646.html Gananite], MinDat.org, accessed 16 December 2010.</ref> Gananite is an isotropic mineral that belongs to the space group P43m. This means that gananite does not show any colors in cross polarized light, because when polarized light passes through it, it does not split into two perpendicular rays. In other words, because gananite is an isometric mineral, it does not exhibit double refraction. Moreover, this tells us that this mineral is not birefringent.<ref>Jambor, J. L., Burke, E. A., Ercit, T. S., Grice, J. D. (1988) New mineral names. American Mineralogist, 73, 1492-1499.</ref> Its color in plane-polarized light is blackish-brown, and it does not show pleochroism.
== Discovery and occurrence == It was first described in 1984 for an occurrence in the Laikeng Mining District, Gan County, Ganzhou Prefecture, Jiangxi Province, China.<ref name=Mindat/> The name is given for its occurrence in the Southern Ganzhou (Gannan) region of China.<ref name=HBM/> In the Gannan occurrence, the only reported location, it occurs in quartz veins in association with wolframite, native bismuth, bismuthinite, pyrite and chalcopyrite.<ref name=HBM/>
== Uses == Despite the obscurity of gananite and its very limited use, it is sometimes used in China as a bismuth ore.
== References == {{reflist}}
Category:Bismuth minerals Category:Cubic minerals Category:Minerals in space group 218 Category:Fluorine minerals
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