Fluorite: Characteristics, Origin and Applications - By: chocolover715

Perhaps the most colorful mineral in the world is fluorite, a mineral from the halide family of minerals. Fluorite has a chemical formula of CaF2 and is also known by its other name, fluorspar.

Characteristics

Fluorite is as colorful as minerals go, both in the naked eye or under ultraviolet light. Fluorite can be blue, yellow, and red. Aside from the primary colors, fluorite also appears as colorless, white, purple, green, orange, pink, brown, and bluish black; this wide variety earned fluorite its moniker as the most colorful mineral in the world. Purple, blue, green, and yellow are its most
common colors, with lesser colors appearing only depending on such factors as impurities in the mineral and radiation exposure. Despite its various colors and inherent beauty, fluorite is rarely used as a semiprecious stone; it falls under 4 in the Mohs scale of hardness, which means it is softer and more brittle than most precious and semiprecious stones used in jewelry and
ornaments.

Fluorite is a vitreous stone, translucent to transparent in appearance, and sometimes appears with white streaks. It also predates the word “fluorescence” (the word is actually derived from fluorite by George Gabriel Stokes in 1852, which he coined to describe the said phenomenon). Fluorite is phosphorescent, meaning that it glows with light whenever it is heated or scratched.

Origin and History

Fluorite was first known to the world as fluorospar, a mineral discussed extensively by German scientist Georgius Agricola in his book on metals first printed in 1530. Agricola, who was also an expert in mining and metallurgy, first described fluorospar as a flux which at that time was used extensively in metallurgy, particularly in smelting where it was used to promote the fusion of
metals and minerals in slag. Historians have two theories as to its etymology (the origin of its name): some believe the name came from flussespar, a German compound word which combine flusse or stream and spar or spear/spear stone; others think it came from the Latin noun for stream or water, fluo, or the verb equivalent fluor which means to flow.

Fluorite deposits were found and mined in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, England, and Norway in Europe; China (the top producer of fluorite), Mongolia, and Russia in Asia; South Africa and Namibia in Africa; and Canada, United States, and Mexico in North America.

Uses and Applications

Fluorite has various uses. In industries alone, fluorite appears in three grades of purity. The lowest grade, called metallurgical grade fluorite, has been used traditionally as flux, although at present, it is also being used in steel and aluminum production.

Ceramic grade fluorite, on the other hand, is a primary material used in opalescent glass and enamels, as well as cooking utensils. The highest grade of fluorite, called acid grade fluorite, makes up for 95% of fluorite consumption in the United States alone; it is used in reaction to sulfuric acid in order to produce hydrogen fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, two widely used
chemicals in various industries.

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