The mineral could open up new possibilities for the development of materials using "soft chemistry" techniques
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jonnysek / iStock [Photo source]
Researchers from Saint Petersburg State University (SPbU), a partner of TV BRICS, the Kola Science Centre of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the A. E. Fersman Mineralogical Museum have discovered a new mineral on the Kola Peninsula, provisionally named Kola Ashcroftine. This was reported on the university's website.
The discovery was made in the Khibiny alkaline massif, a region with significant rare-earth resources. The mineral contains yttrium, silicon, potassium, sodium, calcium, manganese, fluorine and various rare-earth elements, making it a mineralogical rarity and a source of information on the chemical processes within the Earth’s crust.
According to Sergey Krivovichev, director of the Kola Science Centre and professor at Saint Petersburg State University, the mineral’s crystalline structure is particularly complex. It consists of silicate nanotubes connected by a zeolite-like structure and belongs to the group comprising less than 3.5 per cent of the most complex known minerals.
Scientists highlight its ability to incorporate various rare-earth elements and the presence of silicate structures that are potentially useful for ion-exchange processes, used in fields such as water purification, pharmaceuticals, metallurgy and nuclear energy.
The mineral probably formed in a hydrothermal environment at relatively low temperatures. This characteristic could facilitate the development of methods to synthesise it in the laboratory using "gentle chemistry" techniques.
This discovery follows on from other recent findings in BRICS countries, highlighting the mineral wealth of these nations and the potential of their resources for science and the development of new technologies.
For example, China has identified a new germanium mineral, known as Wusihe germanium ore, with an average germanium oxide content of up to 72 per cent. This is the first germanate mineral of independent origin discovered in China and the third germanium-rich mineral identified in that mining area. This was reported by Science and Technology Daily, a partner of TV BRICS.
Germanium is a strategic resource used in the manufacture of semiconductors, fibre-optic communications, infrared optical systems, solar cells and aerospace equipment. It also has applications related to artificial intelligence technologies.
Brazil has also made a discovery of scientific significance. Researchers in Juina, in the state of Mato Grosso, have identified a new mineral called grahampearsonite. The mineral was found inside a diamond and is composed of calcium, phosphorus and oxygen.
According to Metrópoles, a partner of TV BRICS, analyses indicate that grahampearsonite formed at a depth of between 450 and 750 kilometres, under the extreme conditions of the Earth’s interior. Scientists point out that ultra-deep diamonds act as veritable "time capsules", as they preserve minerals formed in the planet’s deep layers. Studying them provides information on the structure of the Earth’s mantle and on the circulation of elements such as phosphorus between the mantle and the crust.
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