Kalinite

Kalinite is a fibrous monoclinic type of alum distinct from isometric potassium alum[5], named in 1868.
Its name comes from Kalium (derived from Arabic: القَلْيَه‎ al-qalyah “plant ashes”) which is the Latin name for potassium, hence its chemical symbol, "K".
A proposal to discredit kalinite as a mineral species has been submitted to the International Mineralogical Association[4], but it is currently (March 2010) on the list of approved minerals[6].

Environment

Kalinite is a rare secondary mineral observed in the oxidized zone of mineral deposits, as efflorescence on alum slates, in caves, and as a volcanic sublimate^[7]. It is associated with jarosite, KFe³⁺₃(SO₄)₂(OH)₆, and cuprian melanterite (pisanite), (Fe²⁺,Cu²⁺)SO₄·7H₂O, at Quetena, Chile^[[8].

Unit Cell

Space Group: C2/c
Unit Cell Parameters[1]: a=19.92 Å, b=9.27 Å, c=8.304 Å, β = 98.79°, Z=4

References

1. ^ a b Gaines et al (1997) Dana’s New Mineralogy, Wiley
2. ^ http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/kalinite.pdf
3. ^ http://www.webmineral.com/data/Kalinite.shtml
4. ^ a b http://www.mindat.org/min-2137.html
5. ^ American Mineralogist (1923) 8:15
6. ^ http://rruff.info/ima
7. ^ American Mineralogist (1927) 12:14
8. ^ American Mineralogist (1938) 23:721

List of minerals