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The Learning Kingdom's Cool Fact of the Day for May 7, 1999
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What mineral can contain 46 different elements?
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Mineralogists at the Canadian Museum of Nature and the University of
Copenhagen were surprised when they began analyzing specimens of
eudialyte, a mineral that is an important source of the rare,
expensive metal zirconium.
After finding inconsistencies in x-ray diffraction patterns, which are
often used to study the crystal structures of minerals, they conducted
further studies that revealed as many as 46 different chemical
elements could be part of eudialyte's crystal structure.
Eudialyte's unusually complex structure includes many places where
rare elements might be incorporated. Understanding that structure
might make the refining of zirconium and other rare elements more
practical. As a result of this study, several new varieties of
eudialyte have been discovered.
More about eudialyte, including a picture of its crystal structure:
http://www.nature.ca/English/treasures/trsite/trmineral/tr2/tr2.html
More Cool Facts about minerals:
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/04/09.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/07/17.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1998/07/30.html
http://www.cool-fact.com/archive/1999/03/01.html
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