Nepheline

Nepheline, also called nephelite (), is a rock-forming mineral in the feldspathoid group a silica-undersaturated aluminosilicate, Na3KAl4Si4O16, that occurs in intrusive and volcanic rocks with low silica, and in their associated pegmatites. It is used in glass and ceramic manufacturing and other industries, and has been investigated as an ore of aluminium. Nepheline crystals are rare and belong to the hexagonal system, usually having the form of a short, six-sided prism terminated by the basal plane. The crystals appear to have more symmetry than they actually possess, but unsymmetrical etched figures produced artificially on the prism faces indicate that the crystals are hemimorphic and tetartohedral, the only element of symmetry being a polar hexad axis. Nepheline is found in compact, granular aggregates, and can be white, yellow, gray, green, or reddish. Its hardness on the Mohs scale is 5.5 to 6, and its specific gravity 2.60–2.65. It is often translucent with a greasy luster. The low index of refraction and the feeble double refraction in nepheline are nearly the same as in quartz; but since the sign of the double refraction is negative in nepheline, while it is positive in quartz, the two minerals are readily distinguished under the microscope. An important determinative character of nepheline is the ease with which it is decomposed by hydrochloric acid, with separation of gelatinous silica (which may be readily stained by coloring matters) and cubes of salt. For this reason, a clear crystal of nepheline becomes cloudy when immersed in acid. The mineral is prone to alteration to zeolites (especially natrolite), sodalite, kaolin, or compact muscovite. The aluminosilicate backbone of nepheline has a fairly open structure of interlocked six-member rings. This resembles the structure of tridymite, with aluminum substituting for every other silicon atom. This structure produces one nearly hexagonal interstitial site and three irregular interstitial sites per unit cell.