A Chemical, Optical, and X-Ray Study of Nepheline and Kaliophilite

F. A. Bannister and M. H. Hey
Assistant-Keepers in the Mineral Department of the British Museum of Natural History.

Summary: Correlated data prove the approximate constancy of the number of oxygen atoms in the unit cells of several nepheline and elaeolite specimens. Thence the number of atoms of each kind per unit cell have been counted. The cell-volumes and optical properties have also been correlated with the chemical composition. An approximate structure is suggested which, together with the chemical work, explains the variable composition of nepheline. The contents of the unit cell may be written Si16-n Aln(Na,K,2Ca)nO32 where n ranges from 6.6 to 8.2. Kaliophilite is shown to possess a much larger cell than that of nepheline, and its Lauegram exhibits higher symmetry. 'Pseudonepheline' (rich in potassium) has a slightly greater cell-volume than normal nepheline, but its Lauegram is almost identical and its axial ratio only slightly less.

Mineralogical Magazine; September 1931 v. 22; no. 134; p. 569-608; DOI: 10.1180/minmag.1931.022.134.03
© 1931, The Mineralogical Society
Mineralogical Society (www.minersoc.org)