Petalite

<p>Petalite, also known as castorite, is a <a href="/facts/Lithium/7vXX6BWA">lithium</a> <a href="/facts/Aluminum/7wmR8jYE">aluminum</a> <a href="/facts/Phyllosilicate/WclrQW2I">phyllosilicate</a> <a href="/facts/Mineral/LkUFbNmv">mineral</a> <a href="/facts/Lithium/7vXX6BWA">Li</a><a href="/facts/Aluminum/7wmR8jYE">Al</a><a href="/facts/Silicon/cgWx0hdr">Si</a>4<a href="/facts/Oxygen/acyn6o8r">O</a>10, crystallizing in the <a href="/facts/Monoclinic/5PCwXvzX">monoclinic</a> system. Petalite occurs as colorless, pink, grey, yellow, yellow grey, to white tabular crystals and columnar masses. It occurs in lithium-bearing <a href="/facts/Pegmatite/qW5BUXPg">pegmatites</a> with <a href="/facts/Spodumene/tlRhvmeK">spodumene</a>, <a href="/facts/Lepidolite/tp55Ysme">lepidolite</a>, and <a href="/facts/Tourmaline/6nbcGRyu">tourmaline</a>. Petalite is an important ore of lithium, and is converted to <a href="/facts/Spodumene/tlRhvmeK">spodumene</a> and <a href="/facts/Quartz/4n86tE2G">quartz</a> by heating to ~500 °C and under 3 kbar of pressure in the presence of a dense hydrous alkali borosilicate fluid with a minor carbonate component. Petalite (and secondary spodumene formed from it) is lower in iron than primary spodumene, making it a more useful source of lithium in, e.g., the production of glass. The colorless varieties are often used as <a href="/facts/Gemstone/kHffmvE3">gemstones</a>. 
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Petalite open-in-new

Petalite