Mindat Logo
Home Page Log In Message Board The Mindat Directory
Register Search Pages Chat Now! (2 online) Mindat Auctions

Whewellite

Big Photo

Bílina coal mine, Bílina (Bilin), Ústí Region, Bohemia (Böhmen; Boehmen), Czech Republic
© O. Dziallas

Show Whewellite Photos (21)
Formula:
Ca[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · H
 
2
O
System:MonoclinicColour:White, yellow, brown, ...
Lustre:Vitreous, PearlyHardness:2½ - 3
Name:
Named after William Whewell (1794-1866), English naturalist and scientist, Professor of Moral Philosophy and inventor of the system of crystallographic indexing.


A rare low-temperature primary hydrothermal mineral in carbonate-sulfide veins; also occurs in geodes, or septarian nodules; associated with coal measures and surrounding rocks with organic material; in some uranium deposits. As microscopic crystals in living plant cells and as calculi or as a sediment in the human urinary tract.

Classification of Whewellite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:9/A.01-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:10.AB.45

10 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
A : Salts of organic acids
B : Oxalates
Dana 8th edition ID:50.1.1.1

50 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
1 : Oxalates
Hey's CIM Ref.:31.1.5

31 : Oxalates, Citrates, Mellitates and Acetates
1 : Oxalates
mindat.org URL:http://www.mindat.org/min-4276.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Occurrences of Whewellite

Geological Setting:In carbonate-sulfide veins, geodes, or septarian nodules; associated with coal measures or in surrounding rock containing organic matter; in some uranium deposits.

Physical Properties of Whewellite

Lustre:Vitreous, Pearly
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent, Translucent
Comment:Lustre pearly on {010} and on some cleavages.
Colour:White, yellow, brown, colourless; colourless in transmitted light
Hardness (Mohs):2½ - 3
Tenacity:Brittle
Cleavage:Very Good
On {101} very good; on {010}, imperfect; on {001}, {110}, indistinct.
Fracture:Conchoidal
Density (measured):2.21 - 2.23 g/cm3
Density (calculated):2.22 g/cm3

Crystallography of Whewellite

Crystal System:Monoclinic
Class (H-M):2/m - Prismatic
Cell Parameters:a = 6.284Å, b = 7.29Å, c = 9.994Å
β = 107.03°
Ratio:a:b:c = 0.862 : 1 : 1.371
Unit Cell Volume:V 437.75 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:2
Morphology:Crystals equant to short prismatic [001], typically distorted with faces commonly irregularly developed, exhibiting forms {001}, {011}, {010}, {110}, {120}, {132}, {101}, plus several additional. Cleavable massive.
Twinning:Very common on {101} as twin and contact plane, with or without reentrant angles, yielding heart-shaped or prismatic, and of pseudo-orthorhombic appearance.
Comment:Space Group: P21/n
Crystal Atlas:
Image Loading
Click on an icon to view
Whewellite no.7 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

You may need to scroll this box using your mouse to view the full instructions.

The mindat.org Crystal Atlas allows you to view a selection of crystal drawings of real and idealised crystal forms for this mineral and, in certain cases, 3d rotating crystal objects. You need Java to see these. You can download Java for free - click here to download Java

The 3d models and java code are kindly provided by www.smorf.nl. You can control the movement of the models by holding down the left mouse-button over the 3d model and moving your mouse. Keyboard controls are:

: default positions
t/T: decrease/increase transparency x/X: next/previous texture
b/B: next/previous background w: toggle wireframe
s: toggle sticks m: toggle miller indices
k: toggle crystallographic axes =/-: zoom in/out
r: stop/start rotation 1/2/3
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
Image Loading

Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data: Peaks:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Whewellite

Type:Biaxial (+)
RI values: nα = 1.489 - 1.491 nβ = 1.553 - 1.554 nγ = 1.649 - 1.650
2V:Measured: 80° to 84°, Calculated: 84°
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.160

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:Low
Dispersion:none

Chemical Properties of Whewellite

Formula:
Ca[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · H
 
2
O
Essential elements:C, Ca, H, O
All elements listed in formula:C, Ca, H, O
CAS Registry number:5794-28-5

CAS Registry numbers are published by the American Chemical Society

Relationship of Whewellite to other Species

Common Associates:
WeddelliteSphaleritePyriteCalciteBaryte
Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

- +
10.AB.05Humboldtine
Fe[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
10.AB.05Lindbergite
Mn
2+
 
[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
10.AB.10Glushinskite
Mg[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
10.AB.15Moolooite
Cu[C
 
2
O
 
4
]·0.4H
 
2
O
10.AB.20Stepanovite
NaMgFe
3+
 
[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
3
 · 8-9H
 
2
O
10.AB.25Minguzzite
K
 
3
Fe
3+
 
[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
3
 · 3H
 
2
O
10.AB.30Wheatleyite
Na
 
2
Cu[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
10.AB.35Zhemchuzhnikovite
NaMg(Fe
3+
 
,Al)[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
3
 · 8H
 
2
O
10.AB.40Weddellite
Ca[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
10.AB.50Caoxite
Ca[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 3H
 
2
O
10.AB.55Oxammite
(NH
 
4
)
 
2
[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · H
 
2
O
10.AB.60Natroxalate
Na
 
2
[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
10.AB.65Coskrenite-(Ce)
(Ce,Nd,La)
 
2
[(SO
 
4
)
 
2
|C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 12H
 
2
O
10.AB.70Levinsonite-(Y)
(Y,Nd,La)Al(SO
 
4
)
 
2
(C
 
2
O
 
4
)·12H
 
2
O
10.AB.75Zugshunstite-(Ce)
(Ce,Nd,La)Al(SO
 
4
)
 
2
(C
 
2
O
 
4
)·12H
 
2
O
10.AB.80Novgorodovaite
Ca
 
2
[Cl
 
2
|C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

- +
31.1.1Oxammite
(NH
 
4
)
 
2
[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · H
 
2
O
31.1.2Moolooite
Cu[C
 
2
O
 
4
]·0.4H
 
2
O
31.1.3Wheatleyite
Na
 
2
Cu[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
2
 · 2H
 
2
O
31.1.4Glushinskite
Mg[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
31.1.6Weddellite
Ca[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
31.1.7Humboldtine
Fe[C
 
2
O
 
4
] · 2H
 
2
O
31.1.8Stepanovite
NaMgFe
3+
 
[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
3
 · 8-9H
 
2
O
31.1.9Zhemchuzhnikovite
NaMg(Fe
3+
 
,Al)[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
3
 · 8H
 
2
O
31.1.10Minguzzite
K
 
3
Fe
3+
 
[C
 
2
O
 
4
]
 
3
 · 3H
 
2
O

Other Names for Whewellite

Synonyms:
OxacalciteOxalate of LimeVevellite
Other Languages:
German:Kohlenspath
Thierschite
Vevellit
Whewellit
Russian:Уэвеллит
Spanish:Vevellita
Whewellita

Other Information

Other Information:Soluble in acids. Insoluble in water.
Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
External LinksSearch for toxicity information at the United States National Library of Medicine

References for Whewellite

Reference List:Brooke, H. T. (1840) Philosophical Magazine and Journal of Science: 16: 449-450 (as Oxalate of Lime).

Shepard C.U. (1844) Treatise on Mineralogy. second edition: 111 (as Oxacalcite).

Brooke, H.J. and Miller, W.H. (1852) Introduction to Mineralogy by Wm. Phillips, London, 1823. New edition by Brooke and Miller. 8vo, London: 623.

Liebig (1853) Annalen der Chemie, Leipzig (Justus Liebig’s): 86: 113 (as Thierschite).

Dana, J.D. (1854) System of Mineralogy, 4th. Edition, New York.

Frenzel (1889) Mineralogische und petrographische Mitteilungen, Vienna: 11: 83 (as Kohlenspath).

Becke (1907) Mineralogische und petrographische Mitteilungen, Vienna: 26: 391.

Slavík (1908) Rozpr. böhm. Ak. Prag: 17, no. 38.

Ježek (1908) Ac. Sc. Bohéme, Bull.: 13: 1.

Ježek (1909) Ac. Sc. Bohéme, Bull.: 14: 1.

Ungemach (1909) Bulletin de la Société française de Minéralogie: 32: 20.

Ježek (1911) Ac. Sc. Bohéme, Bull.: 16: 1.

Kolbeck, Goldschmidt, and Schröder (1918) Beitr. Kr. Min.: 1: 199.

Wherry (1922) Journal of the Washington Academy of Science: 12: 196.

Goldschmidt, V. (1923) Atlas der Krystallformen. 9 volumes, atlas, and text: vol. 9: 70.

Frey (1924) Schweizerische mineralogische und petrographische Mitteilungen, Frauenfeld: 4: 16.

Vassoyevicz and Razumovsky (1928) Mem. soc. russe min.: 57: 275.

Kašpar (1932) Vĕstnik. Král. Čes. Spol. Nauk, Cl. 2, no. 34.

Kašpar (1939) Knihov. Stat. Geol. Úst. Česk. Repub.: 20: 1.

Pobeguin, et al (1943) Comptes rendu de l’Académie des sciences de Paris: 216: 500, 808.

Kalyuzhnyi (1948) Comptes rendus de l’académie des sciences de l’U.R.S.S.: 59: 1631.

Pecora, W.T. and J.H. Kerr (1954) Whewellite from a septarian limestone concretion in marine shale near Havre, Montana. American Mineralogist, 39, 208–214.

Leavens, P.B. (1968) New data on whewellite. American Mineralogist: 53: 455-463.

American Mineralogist (1980): 65: 327-334.

Deganello, S. and O.E. Piro (1981) The crystal structure of calcium oxalate monohydrate (whewellite). Neues Jahrb. Mineral., Monatsh., 81–88.

Zapiski Vserossiyskogo Mineralogicheskogo Obshchestva (1984): 113: 84.

Internet Links for Whewellite

Search Engines:
  • Look for Whewellite on Google
  • Look for Whewellite images on Google
    • External Links:
  • Look for Whewellite on Webmineral
  • Look for Whewellite on Athena Mineralogy
  • Look for Whewellite on Wikipedia
  • Look for Whewellite on Mineralien Atlas
  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Search for Whewellite in the Natural History Museum (London) online catalogue
  • Whewellite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
    • Mineral Dealers:
  • Top quality minerals from Kristalle of California
  • Edwards Minerals - Fine Specimens
  • Wilensky Fine Minerals
  • Rare and Unusual minerals at Mineralogical Research Company
  • The Arkenstone - Fine Minerals
  • Find Whewellite on www.crystalclassics.co.uk
  • Buy Minerals and Crystals from Crystalarium.com
  • Fine Minerals from Dan Weinrich Minerals
  • Buy Fine Minerals from mineralsweb.com
  • Fabre Minerals - search for Whewellite specimens
  • DAKOTA MATRIX offers Cabinet and Rare Species from Worldwide Localities.
  • Wendel Minerals - Auktion & Shop
    • Jobs:
  • Mining & Geology Jobs

    • Page Sponsor

    Sponsorship:This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.

    Localities for Whewellite

    Show Locality List (49 Items)
    The map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the symbol to view information about a locality. The symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.
    Mineral and/or Locality
    Google
     
    www.mindat.org Web
    Copyright © Jolyon Ralph and Ida Chau 1993-2009. Site Map. Locality, mineral & photograph data are the copyright of the individuals who submitted them.Further information contact the Site hosted & developed by Jolyon Ralph. Mindat.org is an online information resource dedicated to providing free mineralogical information to all. Mindat relies on the contributions of hundreds of members and supporters. If you would like to add information to improve the quality of our database, then click here to register. Current server date and time: 12th Nov 2009 17:09:39