Learn more about the mineral called titanite - its characteristics, history, and uses and applications. Titanite is a mineral which contains titanium and calcium. It has a chemical formula of CaTiSiO5. Mineralogists categorize it under the nesosilicate group of minerals.
Learn more about the mineral called titanite - its characteristics, history, and uses and applications. Titanite is a mineral which contains titanium and calcium. It has a chemical formula ofCaTiSiO5. Mineralogists categorize it under the nesosilicate group of minerals.
Characteristics
Usually reddish brown in color, titanite minerals also occur in nature in shades of gray, yellow,green, or red. It has a reddish white streak and a luster described by mineralogists assubadamantine with tendency to have a slightly resinous luster. It has also been observed to bepleochroic when strongly colored. Its crystals are described as wedge-like due to their elongatedwedges which, when joined together, form tabular or platy crystals.Some titanite crystals are translucent while others are transparent. The transparent crystals areespecially valued specimens due to their trichroism, a characteristic wherein the crystals exhibitthree different colors. In the Mohs scale of hardness, titanite falls in the 5.0 to 5.5 scale whichmeans it is a relatively soft or brittle mineral. Titanite is also noted to be radioactive and shouldbe handled accordingly and properly.While most titanite minerals are purely CaTiSiO5, there are specimens of titanite which tend toinclude trace amounts of iron and aluminum. When trace amounts of other elements are present,the specimens are considered to contain impurities. Other known impurities and trace elementsfound in titanite minerals include such rare earth metals as cerium and yttrium. Thorium has alsobeen known to appear in titanite minerals, sometimes even replacing titanite’s calcium content.
Origin and History
Titanite was originally called sphene. Sphene derives from the Greek word sphenos which meanswedge – a description of the minerals’ crystals which are typically wedge-like in appearance. Itwas originally known as “sphene” until 1982, when the International Mineralogical Association– Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names believed the term “sphene” can raiseconfusion between the calcium titanium nesosilicate mineral which it originally refers to, and therare earth metals that fall under the titanate pyrochlores series of minerals as well as thoseminerals that exhibit the perovskite structure. Despite this, sphene remains an active (if informal)term for titanite in peer-reviewed scientific journals and titanite gemstones.Known sources of titanite include local mines in Pakistan, Russia, and China in Asia; Italy,Switzerland, and Austria in Europe; Madagascar in Africa; Brazil in South America; and Canadaand the United States in North America.
Uses and Applications
Titanite is tapped for its rich titanium dioxide (Ti02) content. Titanium dioxide is used primarily as pigment in commercial manufacturing and industries. Another, lesser known use for titanite is in jewelry. Titanite gemstones are a rarity in the gem market due to its unique shade of chartreuse. As a gemstone, titanite has a dispersive power – a “fire”, in gemstone parlance – that is higher than the dispersive power of diamond. However, under the Mohs scale of hardness, titanite only falls under the 5.0 to 5.5 range scale; this means that titanite is too soft and is therefore a challenge to use as a gemstone. This adds to the rarity of titanite gemstones in the market.
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