The Borate Minerals are

mineral 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): Mi ...

s which contain a

borate A borate is any of a range of boron oxyanions, anions containing boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt of such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and borax . The name also refers to esters of su ...

anion An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge. The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conven ...

group. The borate (BO₃) units may be

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

ised similar to the SiO₄ unit of the

silicate mineral Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dio ...

class. This results in B₂O₅, B₃O₆, B₂O₄ anions as well as more complex structures which include

hydroxide Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. It ...

halogen The halogens () are a group in the periodic table consisting of six chemically related elements: fluorine (F), chlorine (Cl), bromine (Br), iodine (I), and the radioactive elements astatine (At) and tennessine (Ts), though some authors would ...

anions.Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius Hurlbut, Jr., ''Manual of Mineralogy'', Wiley, 20th ed., 1985 pp. 343 - 347 The (O,OH)₄sup>− anion exists as well. Many borate minerals, such as

borax The BORAX Experiments were a series of safety experiments on boiling water nuclear reactors conducted by Argonne National Laboratory in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Reactor Testing Station in eastern Idaho.

colemanite Colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) or (CaB3O4(OH)3·H2O) is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine environments. Colemanite is a secondary mineral that forms by alteration of borax and ulexite. It was first described ...

, and

ulexite Ulexite (), sometimes called TV rock or TV stone due to its unusual optical properties, is a hydrous borate hydroxide of sodium and calcium with the chemical formula . The mineral occurs as silky white rounded crystalline masses or in parall ...

, are

salts In chemistry, a salt or ionic compound is a chemical compound consisting of an assembly of positively charged ions ( cations) and negatively charged ions (anions), which results in a compound with no net electric charge (electrically neutral). ...

: soft, readily soluble, and found in

evaporite An evaporite () is a water- soluble sedimentary mineral deposit that results from concentration and crystallization by evaporation from an aqueous solution. There are two types of evaporite deposits: marine, which can also be described as oce ...

contexts. However, some, such as

boracite Boracite is a magnesium borate mineral with formula: Mg3 B7 O13 Cl. It occurs as blue green, colorless, gray, yellow to white crystals in the orthorhombic - pyramidal crystal system. Boracite also shows pseudo-isometric cubical and octahedral fo ...

, are hard and resistant to weathering, more similar to the

silicates 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 for an ...

. There are over 100 different borate minerals.Webmineral.Com
Strunz group V/G - V/L Borate minerals include: *

Kernite Kernite, also known as rasorite, is a hydrated sodium borate hydroxide mineral with formula . It is a colorless to white mineral crystallizing in the monoclinic crystal system typically occurring as prismatic to acicular (crystal habit), acicular ...

Na₂B₄O₆(OH)₂·3H₂O *

Borax The BORAX Experiments were a series of safety experiments on boiling water nuclear reactors conducted by Argonne National Laboratory in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Reactor Testing Station in eastern Idaho.

Na₂B₄O₅(OH)₄·8H₂O *

Ulexite Ulexite (), sometimes called TV rock or TV stone due to its unusual optical properties, is a hydrous borate hydroxide of sodium and calcium with the chemical formula . The mineral occurs as silky white rounded crystalline masses or in parall ...

NaCaB₅O₆(OH)₆·5H₂O *

Colemanite Colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) or (CaB3O4(OH)3·H2O) is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine environments. Colemanite is a secondary mineral that forms by alteration of borax and ulexite. It was first described ...

CaB₃O₄(OH)₃·H₂O *

Boracite Boracite is a magnesium borate mineral with formula: Mg3 B7 O13 Cl. It occurs as blue green, colorless, gray, yellow to white crystals in the orthorhombic - pyramidal crystal system. Boracite also shows pseudo-isometric cubical and octahedral fo ...

Mg₃B₇O₁₃Cl *

Painite Painite is a very rare borate mineral. It was first found in Myanmar by British mineralogist and gem dealer Arthur C.D. Pain who misidentified it as ruby, until it was discovered as a new gemstone in the 1950s. When it was confirmed as a new mine ...

CaZrAl₉O₁₅(BO₃)

Nickel–Strunz Classification -06- Borates

IMA IMA or Ima may refer to: Education * Indian Military Academy, Dehradun * Instituto Miguel Ángel, a school in Mexico City Galleries and museums * Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indiana, US * Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France * Islamic Mus ...

-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses it to modify the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (

mindat.org Mindat.org is a non-commercial interactive online database covering minerals around the world. Originally created by Jolyon Ralph as a private project in 1993, it was launched as a community-editable website in October 2000. it is operated by ...

, 10 ed, pending publication). Note that although Nickel–Strunz division letters were traditionally based on the number of boron atoms in a mineral's chemical formula (06.A are monoborates, 06.B are diborates, etc.), the IMA has reclassified borate minerals based on the polymerisation of the borate anion. ;Abbreviations: * ''REE'':

rare-earth element The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or rare earths, and sometimes the lanthanides or lanthanoids (although scandium and yttrium, which do not belong to this series, are usually included as rare earths), are a set o ...

(Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu) * ''PGE'': platinum-group element (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt) * ''*'' : discredited (IMA/CNMNC status) * ''?'' : questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status) Regarding 03.C Aluminofluorides, 06 Borates, 08 Vanadates (04.H V^{,6/sup> Vanadates), 09 Silicates:
* ''neso-'': insular (from Greek

Greek may refer to:

Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
, "island")
* ''soro-'': grouped (from Greek , "heap, pile, mound")
* ''cyclo-'': rings of (from Greek , "circle")
* ''ino-'': chained (from Greek , "fibre", rom Ancient Greek
* ''phyllo-'': sheets of (from Greek , "leaf")
* ''tekto-'': three-dimensional framework (from Greek , "of building")
;Nickel–Strunz code scheme ''NN.XY.##x'':
* ''NN'': Nickel–Strunz mineral class number
* ''X'': Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter
* ''Y'': Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter
* ''##x'': Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number; ''x'' an add-on letter

Class: borates

* 06. Alfredstelznerite
* 06.A Monoborates
** 06.AA BO₃, without additional anions; 1(D): 05 Sassolite

Sassolite is a borate mineral, specifically the mineral form of boric acid. It is usually white to gray, and colourless in transmitted light. It can also take on a yellow colour from sulfur impurities, or brown from iron oxides.
History and occ ...
; 15 Nordenskioldine, 15 Tusionite; 35 Jimboite, 35 Kotoite; 40 Takedaite
** 06.AB BO₃, with additional anions; 1(D) + OH, etc.: 05 Hambergite, 10 Berborite
Berborite is a beryllium borate mineral with the chemical formula Be2(BO3)(OH,F)·(H2O). It is colorless and leaves a white streak. Its crystals are hexagonal to pyramidal. It is transparent and has vitreous luster. It is not radioactive. Berborite ...
, 15 Jeremejevite

Jeremejevite is an aluminium borate mineral with variable fluoride and hydroxide ions. Its chemical formula is . It is considered as one of the rarest, thus one of the most expensive stones. For nearly a century, it was considered as one of the r ...
; 20 Warwickite, 20 Yuanfuliite Yuanfuliite is a black submetal mineral. The mineral is named after the geologist Yuan Fuli.

It can be found in places like Russia, Sakha Republic, and Siberia

Siberia ( ; , ) is an extensive geographical region comprising all of North ...
; 25 Karlite

Karlite (kar'-lite) is a silky white to light green orthorhombic borate mineral, not to be confused with tremolite-actinolite. It has a general formula of Mg7(BO3)3(OH)4Cl. Karlite is named in honor of Franz Karl (1918–1972), professor of mine ...
; 30 Azoproite, 30 Bonaccordite, 30 Fredrikssonite, 30 Ludwigite

Ludwigite is a magnesium-iron borate mineral: Mg2FeBO5.

Ludwigite typically occurs in magnesian iron skarn and other high temperature contact metamorphic deposits. It occurs in association with magnetite, forsterite, clinohumite and the borates ...
, 30 Vonsenite; 35 Pinakiolite; 40 Blatterite, 40 Orthopinakiolite, 40 Takeuchiite, 40 Chestermanite; 45 Hulsite, 45 Magnesiohulsite, 45 Aluminomagnesiohulsite; 50 Hydroxylborite, 50 Fluoborite
Fluoborite has a chemical formula of Mg3(BO3)(F,OH)3. Its name comes from its main chemical components, fluorine and boron. It was first described in 1926.

Fluoborite's crystal system is hexagonal, meaning it has one six-fold axis of rotation. It ...
; 55 Shabynite, 55 Wightmanite; 60 Gaudefroyite, 65 Sakhaite, 70 Harkerite; 75 IMA2008-060, 75 Pertsevite; 80 Jacquesdietrichite, 85 Painite

Painite is a very rare borate mineral. It was first found in Myanmar by British mineralogist and gem dealer Arthur C.D. Pain who misidentified it as ruby, until it was discovered as a new gemstone in the 1950s. When it was confirmed as a new mine ...

** 06.AC B(O,OH)₄, without and with additional anions; 1(T), 1(T)+OH, etc.: 05 Sinhalite

Sinhalite is a borate mineral with formula MgAl(BO4).

Sinhalite was first found in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) in 1952, and was named from Sinhala - the Sanskrit name for Sri Lanka.

Gemstone quality Sinhalite can also be found in Madagascar, Tanzania ...
; 10 Pseudosinhalite; 15 Béhierite

Béhierite is a very rare borate mineral, and the tantalum endmember of a solid solution series formed with schiavinatoite, its niobium analogue.

Béhierite is also one of the most simple tantalum minerals. It contains simple tetrahedral borate ...
, 15 Schiavinatoite
Schiavinatoite is a very rare borate mineral, and the niobium endmember of a solid solution formed with béhierite.Demartin, F., Diella, V., Gramaccioli, C.M., and Pezzotta, F., 2001. Schiavinatoite, , the Nb analogue of behierite. European Journ ...
; 20 Frolovite; 25 Hexahydroborite; 30 Henmilite; 35 Bandylite; 40 Teepleite; 45 Moydite-(Y); 50 Carboborite; 55 Sulfoborite; 60 Luneburgite; 65 Seamanite; 70 Cahnite

Cahnite (Cahnit in German, Cahnita in Spanish, Канит in Russian) is a brittle white or colorless mineral that has perfect cleavage and is usually transparent. It usually forms tetragonal-shaped crystals and it has a hardness of 3 mohs. Cahn ...

* 06.H Unclassified Borates
** 06.HA Unclassified borates: 05 Chelkarite; 10 Braitschite-(Ce); 15 Satimolite; 20 Iquiqueite; 25 Wardsmithite; 30 Korzhinskite; 35 Halurgite; 40 Ekaterinite; 45 Vitimite; 50 Canavesite

Canavesite, Mg2(HBO3)(CO3)∙5H2O, is a rare carboborate mineral from the abandoned Brosso mine in Italy. Canavesite is a secondary mineral that occurs due to the weathering of ludwigite-magnetite skarn on the surface of mine walls. The physica ...
; 55 Qilianshanite

Subclass: nesoborates

* 06.BA Neso-diborates with double triangles B₂(O,OH)₅; 2(2D); 2(2D) + OH, etc.: 05 Suanite
Suanite is a magnesium borate mineral with formula Mg2B2O5.

It was first described in 1953 by Japanese scientist Takeo Watanabe from the University of Tokyo.
His first contact with the mineral was during analysis of gold- and copper- bearing skar ...
; 10 Clinokurchatovite, 10 Kurchatovite; 15 Sussexite

Sussexite is a manganese borate mineral Mn B O2( O H). Crystals are monoclinic prismatic and typically fibrous in occurrence. Colour is white, pink, yellowish white with a pearly lustre. It has a Mohs hardness of 3 and a specific gravity of 3.12. ...
, 15 Szaibelyite; 20 Wiserite
* 06.BB Neso-diborates with double tetrahedra B₂O(OH)₆; 2(2T): 05 Pinnoite
Pinnoite is a magnesium borate mineral with formula: MgB2O(OH)6 or MgB2O4·3(H2O). It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system and occurs as colorless to yellow or light green radial fibrous clusters and rarely as short prismatic crystals.

Pi ...
; 10 Pentahydroborite
* 06.CA Neso-triborates: 10 Ameghinite; 15 Inderite; 20 Kurnakovite

Kurnakovite is a hydrated borate of magnesium with the chemical composition MgB3O3(OH)5·5H2O. It is a member of the inderite group and is a triclinic dimorph of the monoclinic inderite.
Discovery and occurrence
Kurnakovite, was first described ...
; 25 Inderborite; 30 Meyerhofferite

Meyerhofferite is a hydrated borate mineral of calcium, with the chemical formula Ca2B6O6(OH)10·2H2O, CaB3O3(OH)5·H2O or Ca2(H3B3O7)2·4H2O. It occurs principally as an alteration product of inyoite, another borate mineral.

Natural meyerhoffer ...
; 35 Inyoite

Inyoite, named after Inyo County, California, where it was discovered in 1914, is a colourless monoclinic mineral. It turns white on dehydration. Its chemical formula is Ca(HBO)(OH)·4HO or CaB3O3(OH)5·4H2O. Associated minerals include priceite, ...
; 40 Solongoite; 45 Peprossiite-(Ce); 50 Nifontovite; 55 Olshanskyite
* 06.DA Neso-tetraborates: 10 Borax

The BORAX Experiments were a series of safety experiments on boiling water nuclear reactors conducted by Argonne National Laboratory in the 1950s and 1960s at the National Reactor Testing Station in eastern Idaho.
; 15 Tincalconite

Tincalconite is a hydrous sodium borate mineral closely related to borax, and is a secondary mineral that forms as a dehydration product of borax. Its formula is Na2 B4 O7·5 H2O or Na2 H)4�3H2O.

Tincalconite typically occurs as a fine grained ...
; 20 Hungchaoite; 25 Fedorovskite, 25 Roweite; 30 Hydrochlorborite; 35 Uralborite; 40 Numanoite, 40 Borcarite; 60 Fontarnauite

Fontarnauite is a relatively recently described, rare sulfate, borate mineral with the chemical formula . It is found in an evaporite boron deposit. It coexists with other evaporite boron minerals, especially probertite. It is monoclinic, crystall ...

* 06.EA Neso-pentaborates: 05 Sborgite; 10 Ramanite-(Rb), 10 Ramanite-(Cs), 10 Santite

Santite ( K B5 O8·4 H2O) is a hydrated borate mineral of potassium found in Tuscany, Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Penins ...
; 15 Ammonioborite; 25 Ulexite

Ulexite (), sometimes called TV rock or TV stone due to its unusual optical properties, is a hydrous borate hydroxide of sodium and calcium with the chemical formula . The mineral occurs as silky white rounded crystalline masses or in parall ...

* 06.FA Neso-hexaborates: 05 Aksaite

Aksaite ( Mg html" ;"title="boron.html" ;"title="/nowiki>boron">B6oxygen">O7( OH)6�2 H2O) is a mineral">hydroxide">OH)6�2hydrogen">H2O) is a hydrogen">H2O) is a mineral">hydroxide">OH)6�2hydrogen">H2O) is a mineral found in Kazakhstan.
Etymology ...
; 10 Mcallisterite; 15 Admontite; 20 Rivadavite; 25 Teruggite

Subclass: inoborates

* 06.BC Ino-diborates with triangles and/or tetrahedra: 10 Calciborite, 10 Aldzhanite*; 15 Vimsite; 20 Sibirskite, 20 Parasibirskite
* 06.CB Ino-triborates: 10 Colemanite

Colemanite (Ca2B6O11·5H2O) or (CaB3O4(OH)3·H2O) is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits of alkaline lacustrine environments. Colemanite is a secondary mineral that forms by alteration of borax and ulexite.

It was first described ...
; 15 Hydroboracite

Hydroboracite is a hydrated borate mineral (hence the name) of calcium and magnesium, whose chemical composition is CaMgB6O8(OH)6·3H2O. It was discovered in 1834 in the Inder lake, Atyrau Province, Kazakhstan. Hydroboracite is a minor borate ...
; 20 Howlite

Howlite, a calcium borosilicate hydroxide ( Ca2 B5 Si O9(O H)5), is a borate mineral found in evaporite deposits.
; 25 Jarandolite
* 06.DB Ino-tetraborates: 05 Kernite

Kernite, also known as rasorite, is a hydrated sodium borate hydroxide mineral with formula . It is a colorless to white mineral crystallizing in the monoclinic crystal system typically occurring as prismatic to acicular (crystal habit), acicular ...

* 06.EB Ino-pentaborates: 05 Larderellite; 10 Ezcurrite; 15 Probertite; 20 Tertschite; 25 Priceite
* 06.FB Ino-hexaborates: 05 Aristarainite; 10 Kaliborite

Subclass: phylloborates

* 06.CC Phyllo-triborates: 05 Johachidolite
* 06.EC Phyllo-pentaborates: 05 Biringuccite, 05 Nasinite; 10 Gowerite; 15 Veatchite

Veatchite is an unusual strontium borate, with the chemical formula Sr2B11O16(OH)5·H2O. There are two known polytypes, veatchite-A and veatchite-p.Grice J D, Pring A (2012) Veatchite: structural relationships of the three polytypes, American Mine ...
, 15 Veatchite-A, 15 Veatchite-p; 20 Volkovskite; 25 Tuzlaite; 30 Heidornite; 35 Brianroulstonite
* 06.FC Phyllo-hexaborates: 05 Nobleite

Nobleite is a rare borate mineral with the chemical formula CaB6O9(OH)2·3H2O. It was discovered in 1961, in Death Valley, California, and is named for Levi F. Noble, a USGS geologist, in honor of his contributions to the geology of the Death V ...
, 05 Tunellite, 05 Balavinskite; 10 Strontioborite; 15 Ginorite, 15 Strontioginorite; 20 Fabianite
* 06.GB Phyllo-nonaborates, etc.: 05 Studenitsite; 10 Penobsquisite; 15 Preobrazhenskite; 20 Walkerite

Subclass: tektoborates

* 06.BD Tektodiborates with tetrahedra: 05 Santarosaite
* 06.DD Tekto-tetraborates: 05 Diomignite
* 06.ED Tekto-pentaborates: 05 IMA2007-047, 05 Tyretskite, 05 Hilgardite

Hilgardite is a borate mineral with the chemical formula Ca2B5O9Cl·H2O. It is transparent and has vitreous luster. It is colorless to light pink with a white streak. It is rated 5 on the Mohs Scale.
It crystallizes in the triclinic crystal s ...
, 05 Kurgantaite
* 06.GA Tekto-heptaborates: 05 Boracite

Boracite is a magnesium borate mineral with formula: Mg3 B7 O13 Cl. It occurs as blue green, colorless, gray, yellow to white crystals in the orthorhombic - pyramidal crystal system. Boracite also shows pseudo-isometric cubical and octahedral fo ...
, 05 Chambersite, 05 Ericaite; 10 Congolite, 10 Trembathite
* 06.GC Tekto-dodecaborates: 05 Rhodizite

The Borate Minerals are minerals which contain a borate anion group. The borate (BO3) units may be polymerised similar to the SiO4 unit of the silicate mineral class. This results in B2O5, B3O6, B2O4 anions as well as more complex structures whic ...
, 05 Londonite

The Borate Minerals are minerals which contain a borate anion group. The borate (BO3) units may be polymerised similar to the SiO4 unit of the silicate mineral class. This results in B2O5, B3O6, B2O4 anions as well as more complex structures whic ...

* 06.GD Mega-tektoborates: 05 Ruitenbergite, 05 Pringleite; 10 Metaborite

See also

* Classification of minerals - Non-silicates
* Classification of minerals - Silicates

References

*
*
* Hr. Dr. Udo Neumann der Uni-Tuebingen
Systematik der Minerale

External links

*

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