Calamine is a historic name for an

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

zinc Zinc is a chemical element; it has symbol Zn and atomic number 30. It is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic tabl ...

. The name ''calamine'' was derived from ''lapis calaminaris'', a Latin

correption In Latin and Greek poetry, correption ( , "a shortening") is the shortening of a long vowel at the end of one word before a vowel at the beginning of the next. Vowels next to each other in neighboring words are in hiatus. Homer uses correption ...

of Greek ''cadmia (καδμία)'', the old name for zinc ores in general. The name of the Belgian town of

Kelmis Kelmis (; , ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Liège (province), Liège, named for the historical deposits of Calamine (mineral), calamine (zinc ore) nearby. , the population was 10,881; the ...

, ''La Calamine'' in French, which was home to a zinc mine, comes from this. In the 18th and 19th centuries large ore mines could be found near the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

of Breinigerberg. During the early 19th century it was discovered that what had been thought to be one ore was actually two distinct

minerals In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): M ...

: * Zinc

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, (), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word "carbonate" may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate group ...

Zn C O₃ or

smithsonite Smithsonite, also known as zinc spar, is the mineral form of zinc carbonate ( Zn CO3). Historically, smithsonite was identified with hemimorphite before it was realized that they were two different minerals. The two minerals are very similar in a ...

and * Zinc

silicate A silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name is also used ...

Zn₄ Si₂O₇(O H)₂·H₂O or

hemimorphite Hemimorphite is the chemical compound Zinc, Zn4(Pyrosilicate, Si2O7)(Hydroxide, OH)2Water of crystallization, ·H2O, a component of mineral Calamine (mineral), calamine. It is a silicate mineral which, together with smithsonite (ZnCO3), has bee ...

. Although chemically and crystallographically quite distinct, the two minerals exhibit similar massive or

botryoidal A botryoidal ( ) texture or mineral habit, is one in which the mineral has an external form composed of many rounded segments, named for the Ancient Greek (), meaning "a bunch of grapes".Adjective form: ''botruoeidēs'' This is a common form f ...

external form and are not readily distinguished without detailed chemical or physical analysis. The first person to separate the minerals was the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

chemist and mineralogist

James Smithson James Smithson (c. 1765 – 27 June 1829) was a British chemist and mineralogist. He published numerous scientific papers for the Royal Society during the early 1800s as well as defining Calamine (mineral), calamine, which would eventually be ...

in 1803. In the

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

industry the term calamine has been historically used to refer to both minerals indiscriminately. In

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

calamine is no longer considered a valid term. It has been replaced by smithsonite and hemimorphite in order to distinguish it from the pinkish mixture of

zinc oxide Zinc oxide is an inorganic compound with the Chemical formula, formula . It is a white powder which is insoluble in water. ZnO is used as an additive in numerous materials and products including cosmetics, Zinc metabolism, food supplements, rubbe ...

(ZnO) and

iron(III) oxide Iron(III) oxide or ferric oxide is the inorganic compound with the formula . It occurs in nature as the mineral hematite, which serves as the primary source of iron for the steel industry. It is also known as red iron oxide, especially when use ...

(Fe₂O₃) known as

calamine lotion Calamine, also known as calamine lotion, is a medication made from powdered calamine mineral that is used to treat mild itchiness. Conditions treated include sunburn, insect bites, poison ivy, poison oak, and other mild skin conditions. It m ...

Early history

In the 16th century demand for

latten Historically, the term "latten" referred loosely to the copper alloys such as brass or bronze that appeared in the Middle Ages and through to the late-18th and early-19th centuries. Such alloys were used for monumental brasses, in decorative effect ...

(brass) in England came from the needs of wool-carding, for which brass-wire combs were preferred, and battery pieces (brassware formed by hammering sheet brass in a battery mill). The only known method for producing the alloy was by heating copper and calamine together in the

cementation process The cementation process is an Obsolescence, obsolete technology for making steel by carburization of iron. Unlike modern steelmaking, it increased the amount of carbon in the iron. It was apparently developed before the 17th century. Derwentcot ...

and in 1568 a royal charter was granted to the Society of the Mineral and Battery Works to search for the mineral and produce brass, to reduce dependence on imported metal from Germany. Factories to exploit the process were established at

Isleworth Isleworth ( ) is a suburban town in the London Borough of Hounslow, West London, England. It lies immediately east of Hounslow and west of the River Thames and its tributary the River Crane, London, River Crane. Isleworth's original area of ...

and

Rotherhithe Rotherhithe ( ) is a district of South London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, with the Isle of Dogs to the ea ...

. By the late 17th century enough was known of metallic zinc to make brass solder directly by combining copper and

spelter Spelter is a zinc–lead alloy that Patina, ages to resemble bronze, but is Hardness, softer and has a lower melting point. The name can also refer to a copper–zinc alloy (a brass) used for brazing, or to pure zinc. Etymology In his etymolo ...

(zinc ingots). In 1738 a patent was granted to William Champion, a

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

brass founder, for the large-scale reduction of calamine to produce spelter. There were many calamine mines in Shipham, not far from William Champion's brass works. In 1684 a paper presented to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

described the medicinal and veterinary properties of the compound when in finely powdered form. Since then no mechanism of action for the powder has been identified, and the only medical effect of the powdered mineral appears to be its ability to absorb moisture secreted from irritated and weeping skin.

References

{{reflist Zinc minerals sv:Galmeja