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, 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 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-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, 15 Jeremejevite; 20 Warwickite, 20 Yuanfuliite; 25 Karlite; 30 Azoproite, 30 Bonaccordite, 30 Fredrikssonite, 30 Ludwigite, 30 Vonsenite; 35 Pinakiolite; 40 Blatterite, 40 Orthopinakiolite, 40 Takeuchiite, 40 Chestermanite; 45 Hulsite, 45 Magnesiohulsite, 45 Aluminomagnesiohulsite; 50 Hydroxylborite, 50 Fluoborite; 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; 10 Pseudosinhalite; 15 Béhierite, 15 Schiavinatoite; 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; 55 Qilianshanite

Subclass: nesoborates

* 06.BA Neso-diborates with double triangles B₂(O,OH)₅; 2(2D); 2(2D) + OH, etc.: 05 Suanite; 10 Clinokurchatovite, 10 Kurchatovite; 15 Sussexite, 15 Szaibelyite; 20 Wiserite
* 06.BB Neso-diborates with double tetrahedra B₂O(OH)₆; 2(2T): 05 Pinnoite; 10 Pentahydroborite
* 06.CA Neso-triborates: 10 Ameghinite; 15 Inderite; 20 Kurnakovite; 25 Inderborite; 30 Meyerhofferite; 35 Inyoite; 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; 20 Hungchaoite; 25 Fedorovskite, 25 Roweite; 30 Hydrochlorborite; 35 Uralborite; 40 Numanoite, 40 Borcarite; 60 Fontarnauite
* 06.EA Neso-pentaborates: 05 Sborgite; 10 Ramanite-(Rb), 10 Ramanite-(Cs), 10 Santite; 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; 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; 15 Hydroboracite; 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, 15 Veatchite-A, 15 Veatchite-p; 20 Volkovskite; 25 Tuzlaite; 30 Heidornite; 35 Brianroulstonite
* 06.FC Phyllo-hexaborates: 05 Nobleite, 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, 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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