Chibaite
White crystals of the rare silica-hydrocarbon minerals chibaite (IMA 2008-067) and bosoite (IMA 2014-023) from the type and only known locality worldwide for both species: Arakawa, Minamiboso City, Chiba Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan.
General
CategoryMineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
SiO2•n(CH4, C2H6, C3H8, i-C4H10) (n ≤ 3/17)
IMA symbolCib[1]
Strunz classification4.DA
Crystal systemIsometric
Space groupF2/d3
Unit cella = 19.3742 V=7,272.29 Å3
Identification
Colourwhite
Mohs scale hardness7
LusterVitreous
Specific gravity1.933
Optical propertiesisotropic
Refractive index1.470

Chibaite is a rare silicate mineral. It is a silica clathrate with formula SiO
2
•n(CH
4
,C
2
H
6
,C
3
H
8
,i-C
4
H
10
)
(n = 3/17 (max)). The mineral is cubic (diploidal class, m3) and the silica hosts or traps various hydrocarbon molecules, such as methane, ethane, propane and isobutane.[2][3]

Chibaite was first described for specimens collected from Arakawa, Minamibōsō, Chiba Prefecture, Honshu Island, Japan. The mineral was approved by the IMA in 2009.[2][3]

References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
  2. 1 2 Chibaite on Mindat.org
  3. 1 2 "The Discovery of Chibaite, Elements, June 2012, section: Japan Association of Mineralogical Sciences p. 230" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-01-19. Retrieved 2014-03-19.


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