Tistarite is an exceedingly rare mineral with the formula Ti
2O
3, thus being the natural analogue of titanium(III) oxide.
[Mindat, Tistarite, http://www.mindat.org/min-38695.html] In terms of chemistry it is the
titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resista ...
-analogue of
hematite
Hematite (), also spelled as haematite, is a common iron oxide compound with the formula, Fe2O3 and is widely found in rocks and soils. Hematite crystals belong to the rhombohedral lattice system which is designated the alpha polymorph of ...
,
corundum
Corundum is a crystalline form of aluminium oxide () typically containing traces of iron, titanium, vanadium and chromium. It is a rock-forming mineral. It is a naturally transparent material, but can have different colors depending on the ...
,
eskolaite, and
karelianite. Other minerals with the general formula A
2O
3 are
arsenolite,
avicennite,
claudetite,
bismite,
bixbyite
Bixbyite is a manganese iron oxide mineral with chemical formula: (Mn,Fe)2O3. The iron/manganese ratio is quite variable and many specimens have almost no iron. It is a metallic dark black with a Mohs hardness of 6.0 - 6.5. It is a somewhat rare ...
,
kangite,
sphaerobismoite,
yttriaite-(Y) and
valentinite. Tistarite and
grossmanite - both found in the famous
Allende meteorite (so is kangite) - are the only currently known minerals with trivalent titanium. Titanium in minerals is almost exclusively tetravalent.
[Mindat, Yttriaite-(Y), http://www.mindat.org/min-40471.html] The only known terrestrial occurrence of tistarite was found during minerals exploration by Shefa Yamim Ltd. in the upper mantle beneath Mount Carmel
Mount Carmel ( he, הַר הַכַּרְמֶל, Har haKarmel; ar, جبل الكرمل, Jabal al-Karmil), also known in Arabic as Mount Mar Elias ( ar, link=no, جبل مار إلياس, Jabal Mār Ilyās, lit=Mount Saint Elias/ Elijah), is a ...
, Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
.
References
Oxide minerals
Titanium minerals
Trigonal minerals
Minerals in space group 167
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