Calclacite
A valid IMA mineral species - grandfathered
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Formula:
Ca(CH3COO)Cl · 5H2O
Colour:
White
Lustre:
Silky
Specific Gravity:
1.5
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Name:
Named by René Van Tassel (1916-2013) in 1945 in allusion to its composition, containing CALcium, chlorine (CL) and ACetate.
Calcium chloride acetate pentahydrate.
A mineral which forms on calcareous rock and fossil specimens and pottery shards through the interaction of acetic acid derived from oak museum storage cabinets (anthropogenic).
A mineral which forms on calcareous rock and fossil specimens and pottery shards through the interaction of acetic acid derived from oak museum storage cabinets (anthropogenic).
Unique Identifiers
Mindat ID:
862
Long-form identifier:
mindat:1:1:862:8
IMA Classification of Calclacite
Approved, 'Grandfathered' (first described prior to 1959)
IMA Formula:
Ca(CH3COO)1-Cl·5H2O
Classification of Calclacite
10.AA.25
10 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
A : Salts of organic acids
A : Formates, Acetates, etc.
10 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
A : Salts of organic acids
A : Formates, Acetates, etc.
50.2.4.1
50 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
2 : Mellitates, Citrates, Cyanates, Acetates and Formates
50 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
2 : Mellitates, Citrates, Cyanates, Acetates and Formates
31.4.1
31 : Oxalates, Citrates, Mellitates and Acetates
4 : Acetates
31 : Oxalates, Citrates, Mellitates and Acetates
4 : Acetates
Mineral Symbols
As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.
| Symbol | Source | Reference for Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Calc | IMA–CNMNC | Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43 |
Physical Properties of Calclacite
Silky
Transparency:
Translucent
Comment:
Lustre silky in aggregates.
Colour:
White
Streak:
White
Comment:
Not determined
Density:
1.5 g/cm3 (Measured) 1.55 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Optical Data of Calclacite
Type:
Biaxial (+)
RI values:
nα = 1.468 nβ = 1.484 nγ = 1.515
2V:
Measured: 80° , Calculated: 74°
Max. Birefringence:
δ = 0.047
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Based on recorded range of RI values above.
Interference Colours:
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
The colours simulate birefringence patterns seen in thin section under crossed polars. They do not take into account mineral colouration or opacity.
Michel-Levy Bar The default colours simulate the birefringence range for a 30 µm thin-section thickness. Adjust the slider to simulate a different thickness.
Grain Simulation You can rotate the grain simulation to show how this range might look as you rotated a sample under crossed polars. Each grain retains its interference colour (retardation) while its brightness falls to black at extinction and reaches a maximum between extinction positions.
Surface Relief:
Moderate (negative)
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
Relative to Canada balsam mounting medium (n ≈ 1.537).
This shows the grain boundary and Becke line effect under plane-polarised
light, based on the contrast between this mineral's average refractive
index and the mounting medium. It does not take into account mineral
colouration.
In focus
Interference Figure:
This shows the idealized biaxial acute bisectrix (Bxa) interference figure
- the conoscopic view for a grain cut perpendicular to the acute bisectrix, using
this mineral's 2V. The two small white dots mark the melatopes - the points
where the two optic axes emerge - and are shown only when they fall within the
field of view. The coloured bands are isochromatics, and the dark bands are
isogyres.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Rotate the stage: at 0°/90° the isogyres form a cross through the melatopes; at 45° they pull apart into curved hyperbolas. That splitting on rotation - absent in a uniaxial figure - is the standard diagnostic test for telling biaxial minerals from uniaxial ones. If 2V is large, the melatopes may fall outside the field of view, as they often do at the microscope too.
Dispersion:
relatively weak
Chemistry of Calclacite
Mindat Formula:
Ca(CH3COO)Cl · 5H2O
Element Weights:
Crystallography of Calclacite
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Space Group:
P21/c
Cell Parameters:
a = 11.51 Å, b = 13.72 Å, c = 6.82 Å
β = 116.7°
β = 116.7°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 0.839 : 1 : 0.497
Unit Cell V:
962.16 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:
4
Morphology:
Crystals as slky, hairlike efflorescences.
Comment:
Space Group determined on synthetic material.
Crystal Structure
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Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure
| ID | Species | Reference | Link | Year | Locality | Pressure (GPa) | Temp (K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0019021 | Calclacite | Giuseppetti G, Tadini C, Ungaretti L (1970) La struttura cristallina della calclacite Periodico di Mineralogia 39 145-158 | 1970 | synthetic | 0 | 293 |
CIF Raw Data - click here to close
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
| d-spacing | Intensity |
|---|---|
| 8.27 Å | (strong) |
| 3.24 Å | (strong) |
| 2.43 Å | (strong) |
| 6.87 Å | (medium) |
| 4.16 Å | (medium) |
| 2.30 Å | (medium) |
| 6.15 Å | (weak) |
Comments:
Synthetic. Data from van Tassel (1958). An alternate pattern, including orientation effects, is given in Voncken et al. (2001).
Geological Environment
Paragenetic Mode(s):
| Paragenetic Mode | Earliest Age (Ga) |
|---|---|
| Stage 7: Great Oxidation Event | <2.4 |
| 47g : [Halogen-bearing surface weathering minerals] | |
| Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals | <10 Ka |
| 57 : Other minerals formed by human processes |
Other Language Names for Calclacite
Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping
| 10.AA. | Henrysunite | Na2(C2H3O3)2(H2O) |
| 10.AA.05 | Formicaite | Ca(HCOO)2 |
| 10.AA.10 | Dashkovaite | Mg(HCOO)2 · 2H2O |
| 10.AA.20 | Acetamide | CH3CONH2 |
| 10.AA.30 | Paceite | CaCu(CH3COO)4 · 6H2O |
| 10.AA.35 | Hoganite | Cu(CH3COO)2 · H2O |
| 10.AA.40 | Lianbinite | (NH4)(C2H3O3)(C2H4O3) |
| 10.AA.40 | Domitrovicite | Zn(C2H3O3)2 · 2H2O |
| 10.AA.40 | Puschridgeite | Mn(C2H3O3)2(H2O)2 |
| 10.AA.40 | Lazaraskeite | Cu(C2H3O3)2 |
| 10.AA.40 | Glecklerite | Na(C2H3O3) |
| 10.AA.40 | Jimkrieghite | Ca(C2H3O3)2 |
| 10.AA.40 | Stanevansite | Mg(C2H3O3)2 · 2H2O |
| 10.AA.40 | Rasmussenite | Ca(C2H3O3)2 · 3H2O |
| 10.AA.45 | Marchettiite | C5H7N5O3 |
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
Internet Links for Calclacite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-862.html
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Please feel free to link to this page.
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References for Calclacite
Reference List:
Echigo, T., Kimata, M. (2010) Crystal Chemistry and Genesis of Organic Minerals: a Review of Oxalate and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon Minerals. The Canadian Mineralogist, 48 (6) 1329-1357 doi:10.3749/canmin.48.5.1329
