Kyawthuite
This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.
About Kyawthuite
Formula:
Bi3+Sb5+O4
Colour:
Reddish orange
Lustre:
Adamantine
Hardness:
5½
Specific Gravity:
8.256
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Name:
Named for Dr. Kyaw Thu (b. 1973), a Burmese mineralogist-petrologist-gemologist with a Ph.D. from Yangon University (2007). He was on the staff of the Geology Department of Yangon University from 1998 to 2005 and has been the owner/operator of the Macle Gem Trade Laboratory since 2003.
Type Locality:
Isostructural with:
Well-known as a synthetic compound. The only approved Bi-Sb oxide mineral. May be a chemical analogue of clinobisvanite, BiVO4, but the space groups are slightly different. Not analogous to bismutocolumbite or bismutotantalite.
Crystal structure details: (1) Sb5+O6 octahedra; (2) the octahedra share corners to form checkerboard-like sheets || {001}; (3) Bi3+ ions above and below the open-square areas within the sheets; (4) these Bi cations bond with O atoms in the sheets providing a link for adjacent sheets; (5) Bi has lopsided 8 coordination.
Crystal structure details: (1) Sb5+O6 octahedra; (2) the octahedra share corners to form checkerboard-like sheets || {001}; (3) Bi3+ ions above and below the open-square areas within the sheets; (4) these Bi cations bond with O atoms in the sheets providing a link for adjacent sheets; (5) Bi has lopsided 8 coordination.
Classification of Kyawthuite
Physical Properties of Kyawthuite
Adamantine
Transparency:
Transparent
Colour:
Reddish orange
Streak:
White
Hardness:
5½ on Mohs scale
Tenacity:
Brittle
Cleavage:
Perfect
{001}; also good on {110} and {110}
{001}; also good on {110} and {110}
Fracture:
Conchoidal
Density:
8.256(5) g/cm3 (Measured) 8.127 g/cm3 (Calculated)
Chemical Properties of Kyawthuite
Formula:
Bi3+Sb5+O4
Elements listed:
Crystallography of Kyawthuite
Crystal System:
Monoclinic
Class (H-M):
2/m - Prismatic
Cell Parameters:
a = 5.4624(4) Å, b = 4.8852(2) Å, c = 11.8520(8) Å
β = 101.195(7)°
β = 101.195(7)°
Ratio:
a:b:c = 1.118 : 1 : 2.426
Unit Cell V:
310.25 ų
Z:
4
Comment:
I2/c
X-Ray Powder Diffraction
Powder Diffraction Data:
d-spacing | Intensity |
---|---|
3.266 | (100) |
2.900 | (66) |
2.678 | (24) |
2.437 | (22) |
1.866 | (21) |
1.803 | (43) |
1.626 | (23) |
1.529 | (28) |
Comments:
From Type Description.
Type Occurrence of Kyawthuite
General Appearance of Type Material:
Single crystal faceted into a 1.61-carat gem
Place of Conservation of Type Material:
Type material is deposited in the collections of the Mineral Sciences Department, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, 900 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, California 90007, USA, catalogue number 65602
Geological Setting of Type Material:
Found in a waterworn crystal in alluvium at Chaung-gyi-ah-le-ywa; likely originated from a pegmatite
Synonyms of Kyawthuite
Other Information
Health Risks:
No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.
References for Kyawthuite
Reference List:
Sort by Year (asc) | by Year (desc) | by Author (A-Z) | by Author (Z-A)
Aurivillius, B. (1951): Arkiv foer Kemi 3, 153-161.
Kennedy, B.J. (1994): Powder Diffraction 9, 164-167.
Enjalbert, R.; Sorokina, S.; Castro, A.; Galy, J. (1995): Acta Chemica Scandinavica 49, 813-819.
Kampf, A.R., Rossman, G.R. and Ma, C. (2015) Kyawthuite, IMA 2015-078. CNMNC Newsletter No. 28, December 2015, page 1863; Mineralogical Magazine, 79, 1859–1864.
Kampf, A.R., Rosman, G.R., Ma, C. (2016): Kyawthuite, Bi3+Sb5+O4, a new gem mineral from Mogok, Burma (Myanmar). Mineralogical Magazine: 81: 477-484.
Internet Links for Kyawthuite
mindat.org URL:
https://www.mindat.org/min-46909.html
Please feel free to link to this page.
Please feel free to link to this page.
Search Engines:
External Links:
Mineral Dealers:
Localities for Kyawthuite
Locality List




All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.
Myanmar (TL) | |
| Kampf, A.R., Rosman, G.R., Ma, C. (2016): Kyawthuite, Bi3+Sb5+O4, a new gem mineral from Mogok, Burma (Myanmar). Mineralogical Magazine: 81: 477-484 |
Chaung-gyi-ah-le-ywa, Chaung-gyi, Mogok Township, Pyin-Oo-Lwin District, Mandalay Region, Myanmar