Spodumene belongs to the monoclinic system, and the crystals are often columnar, granular or plate. The color is gray-white, gray-green, purple or yellow, etc., the hardness is 6.5-7, and the density is 3.03-3.22g/cm³. As a raw material for lithium chemical products, it is widely used in lithium chemical, glass and ceramic industries, and enjoys the reputation of "industrial monosodium glutamate".
Spodumene is the most important physical and industrial mineral, and it is a characteristic mineral in lithium-rich granite pegmatite. It is mainly generated in granite pegmatite veins. Different from other pyroxene minerals, spodumene is a A pegmatite mineral, often associated with crystal, tourmaline, beryl, etc.
The chemical composition of spodumene is LiAl[Si2O6], of which the theoretical content of Li2O is as high as 8.03%. The spodumene concentrate generally contains 6.3~7.5% of Li2O. In fact, the content of t is usually in the range of 2.91~7.66%, which may be due to the replacement of lithium by sodium potassium.
Spodumene is one of the main lithium-containing minerals, also known as type 2 spodumene. Glass luster, streaks are colorless. The hardness is 6.5~7, and the density is 3.03~3.22g/cm3. Spodumene is mainly produced in lithium-rich granite pegmatite, and the symbiotic minerals include quartz, albite, microplagioclase, etc. Crystals change color when heated or exposed to ultraviolet light, and they lose their luster when exposed to sunlight. When calcined to about 1000℃, it rapidly transforms into β-type spodumene, and has thermal cracking properties.
The application of spodumene as the main source of lithium group in ceramics, metallurgy, porcelain picking, special glass, chemical industry and other fields has developed rapidly and expanded. Spodumene is divided into three categories according to use, chemical composition and smelting process requirements: spodumene for chemical industry, spodumene for ceramics, and low-iron spodumene.
Spodumene is a clinopyroxene group mineral with the chemical formula LiAl[Si2O6]. There are often trace amounts of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and occasionally chromium, rare earth, helium and cesium. The crystal is short columnar or plate-like, and the upright crystal plane has crystal plane stripes. Occasionally, huge crystals can be seen, and reports have been reported to be 16 meters long. The aggregate is plate-like, and there are also dense cryptocrystalline blocks. White, light green, green, yellow-green, yellow-brown, pink, purple, blue-green, blue and other colors are available. Transparent - slightly transparent. Glass luster, cleavage surface microstrip pearly color. Biaxial positive crystal, +2v=50o～70o.
Refractive index ng=1.665～1.682, nm=1.660～1.671, np=1.651～1.670; birefringence 0.012～0.025. The pleochroism is remarkable. Pink crystals are: none - light green - lavender - purple - violet. Green crystals: colorless-light green-blue-green-green. Dispersion 0.017. Under ultraviolet light, the purple ones have pink-orange fluorescence. Yellow-green has orange-yellow fluorescence, emerald spodumene has no fluorescence, but has orange phosphorescence under x-ray. Complete or moderate with pyroxene-type cleavage, with edged cleavage. Fracture staggered - lobed.