Editorial Feature

Carlhintzeite - Occurrence, Properties, and Distribution

May 22 2014

Carlhintzeite is a triclinic minera, containing oxygen, hydrogen, fluorine, calcium, and aluminum. It was first discovered in Hagendorf, Germany. The mineral was named after Carl Hintze, Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Breslau in Germany, noted for his compilation of the famous Handbuch der Mineralogie.

Properties of Carlhintzeite

The following are the key properties of Carlhintzeite:

Cell Data
- Space Group: C1 or C1
- a = 9.48(5)
- b = 6.98(3)
- c = 9.30(5)
- α = 91.14(10)°
- β = 104.85(10)°
- γ = 90.0(10)°
- Z = 4

Crystal Data
- Triclinic, pseudomonoclinic
- Point Group: 1 or 1
- As radiating tufts and bundles of crystals, to 2 mm; crystals elongated || [101] and flattened on {001}. Forms observed are {100} and {001}, also (110)
- X-ray Powder Pattern: 3.48 (100), 4.56 (70), 3.69 (60), 2.852 (40), 1.460 (40), 2.277 (30), 2.242 (30)

Chemical Composition

Elements	Content 1	Content 2
F	52.1	51.52
Ca	29.86	31.05
Al	10.27	10.45
H₂O	7	6.98
Total	99.23	100

Optical Properties
- Optical Class: Biaxial (+)
- Orientation: X ~ b; Z Λ c = 10(5)°
- α = 1.411(2)
- β = 1.416(2)
- γ = 1.422(2)
- 2V(meas.) = 77(2)°
- 2V(calc.) = 78°

Estimated Properties

Electron density	Bulk density (electron density) = 2.81 g/cm³ note: Specific gravity of Carlhintzeite = 2.88 g/cm³
Photoelectric	PE_{Carlhintzeite} = 4.46 barns/electron U= PE_{Carlhintzeite} x ρElectron density = 12.55 barns/cm³
Fermion index	Fermion index = 0.0004 Boson index = 0.99
Radioactivity	Carlhintzeite is not radioactive

How to Identify Carlhintzeite

Carlhintzeite is a colorless or white mineral, formed as prismatic or radial crystals. It has a vitreous luster, white streak, and transparent appearance.

The density of carlhintzeite is 2.86 g/cm³.