The bones and teeth of most animals, including humans, are composed of calcium phosphate, which is the same material as Apatite. In collectors’ usage, the name refers to any of three minerals: fluorapatite [calcium fluorophosphate, Ca5(PO4)3F, formerly apatite-(CaF)]; chlorapatite [calcium chlorophosphate, Ca5(PO4)3Cl, formerly apatite-(CaCl)]; and hydroxylapatite [basic calcium phosphate, Ca5(PO4)3(OH), formerly apatite-(CaOH)]. Apatite is a general term used to describe these phosphorous containing minerals. Reimphoto / Getty Images Apatite (Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 F) is a key part of the phosphorus cycle. About 200 minerals are known that contain 1 percent or more P2O5.1 Most of the phosphorus in the earth's crust, however, occurs in species of the apatite group, Cai0 (P04,C03 )6 (F,Cl,OH)2 (Palache and others, 1951, p. 877; Altschuler and others, 1958; Deer and others, 1962, p. 324). Gem blue apatite shows strong dichroism: blue/yellow. (2002) estimated that apatite contains a least 12% of the Ca content of the soil parent material in W1. Apatite, any member of a series of phosphate minerals, the world’s major source of phosphorus, found as variously coloured glassy crystals, masses, or nodules. Mineral mass (%) and average grain size (μm) of studied flotation and bio-oxidation products using QEMSCAN. Erionite. Apatite is the most common phosphate mineral, and is the main source of the phosphorus required by plants. All occur in close association, share similar properties, and require laboratory analysis for differentiation. Blue apatite is a prized mineral specimen by rock collectors for its vibrant royal blue color. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. They are a significant component of phosphorite and used to make chemicals, acids, and fertilizers. There are numerous ways that Apatite is used in the world today. Hydroxyapatite, also known as hydroxylapatite, is the major component of tooth enamel and bone mineral. It has a Mohs hardness of 5. Fluorapatite, often with the alternate spelling of fluoroapatite, is a phosphate mineral with the formula Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 F (calcium fluorophosphate). Precipitation of insoluble copper and manganese oxalate crystals under colonies growing on agar amended with cuprite and rhodochrosite was observed after 1–2 days growth at 25°C. Rocks are made up of one or more minerals. Moon rocks collected by during the Apollo program were found to contain traces of apatite. Because this apatite is non-radioactive, it does not pose an environmental hazard. In some cases, stimulation of growth occurred, most marked with the phosphate-containing mineral, apatite. Therapeutic quality Sodalight spheres are a deep, rich blue, with relatively consistent color throughout the entire sphere. Together with Ragn-Sells, we are creating conditions for industrialising a profitable extraction process. A relatively rare form of apatite in which most of the OH groups are absent and containing many carbonate and acid phosphate substitutions is a large component of bone material. When a fluorapatite content is then added the outcome is hydrofluoric acid. Those specimens that are found to have excellent clarity and color are cut and used as gemstones. Pencils are often mistakenly thought to contain lead, but, in fact, contain the mineral graphite. Up to 50% by volume and 70% by weigh of human bone is a modified form of HAp, known as bone mineral. The largest apatite deposits are found in sedimentary rocks, but apatite also occurs in igneous and metamorphic rock. When fluoride compounds are added to drinking water and toothpaste, fluorine ions displace chlorine and hydroxyl ions to convert chlorapatite and hydroxylapatite to fluorapatite, thus improving the decay-resistance of teeth. They become brittle, scratched with a steel knife blade, and easily fractured. As demand for phosphorus-based chemicals increases, high-grade phosphate rock now sells for about $100 per tonne. Apatite is a widespread accessory phosphate mineral that occurs in many rocks and is relatively resistant to weathering (Bouzari et al., 2011). Dimensions: 6 x … (*The Ward’s Science website … research and development) only. Apatite is the name of a group of phosphate minerals with similar chemical compositions and physical properties. Natural mineral apatite has a chemical composition of Ca 5 (PO 4) 3 (OH, F, Cl) (Naray-Szabo, 1930; Pan and Fleet, 2002; White et al., 2005; Pasero et al., 2010). Apatite is softer than many gemstone minerals that look much like apatite. In the form of apatite, phosphorus is essential to plant life for growth and photosynthesis, and to animal life as a vital component of genes, teeth, bones, and muscles. CTRL + SPACE for auto-complete. But don’t be deceived by their stillness. Whilst we have yet to undertake clinical research in this area, it is potentially feasible that BioMin Rocks are made up of one or more minerals. Keywords Apatite Phosphates Density functional theory Compressibility Crystal structure Introduction The major host mineral for phosphorus in the Earth's crust and upper mantle is apatite, a calcium phosphate mineral with composition Ca10(PO4)6X2, where the channel anion, X, is typically F-, OH-, or Cl- (Pan and Fleet 2002). A 60-mile-long conveyer belt, the world’s longest, transports Bou Craa’s newly mined phosphate rock to the Atlantic coast, while the “Moroccan Wall,” a 1,700-mile-long, 12-foot-high, military-patrolled, human-made sand escarpment protects the mine and Moroccan-occupied Western Sahara from Polisario guerilla attacks. It has a Mohs hardness of 5. High-grade phosphate rock, the only commercial source of phosphorus, contains at least 10 percent elemental phosphorus in the form of apatite. Apatite minerals will always be in demand by collectors for those beautiful, transparent, yellow-to-greenish-yellow crystals and, much more importantly, by industrial factions for phosphate rock which, while not visually appealing, is vital to global food production. It is also used to produce animal feed supplements, phosphoric acid, elemental phosphorous, and phosphate compounds for the chemical ind… Apatite Purity contains Sodalight, Apatite, and White Flash Moonstone. However, while the HCl-P pool is often considered to extract P from apatite, in these soils the HCl-P pool also contains secondary P minerals (Helfenstein et al., 2018). Sequential extraction by itself is therefore not a robust indicator for apatite ( Gu et al., 2020 , Helfenstein et al., 2020 , Tamburini et al., 2012 ), be it from parent material or dust-derived sources. 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