Wolsendorfite Mineral Data

General Wolsendorfite Information

Chemical Formula:

(Pb,Ba,Ca)U2O7•2(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 793.61 gm

Barium 5.19 % Ba 5.80 % BaO

Calcium 0.51 % Ca 0.71 % CaO

Uranium 59.99 % U 72.08 % UO₃

Hydrogen 0.51 % H 4.54 % H₂O

Lead 15.67 % Pb 16.87 % PbO

Oxygen 18.14 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Pb_0.6Ba_0.3Ca_0.1U₂O₇•2(H₂O)

Environment:

In fissures in fluorite with other uranium minerals.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1957

Locality:

Wolsendorf, Bavaria, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the locality.

Name Pronunciation:

Wolsendorfite + Pronunciation

Synonym:

Woelsendorfite

Wolsendorfite Image

Images:

Wolsendorfite

Comments: Red orange druse of tabular wolsendorfite crystals.
Location: Shinkolobwe mine, Tantara, Shaba, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Wolsendorfite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =0.8541:1:0.5017

Cell Dimensions:

a = 11.95, b = 13.99, c = 7.02, Z = 6; V = 1,173.61 Den(Calc)= 6.74

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic Space Group: Unk

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 3.088(1), 3.4(0.7), 1.991(0.4),

Physical Properties of Wolsendorfite

Cleavage:

{001} Good

Color:

Red, Carmine red.

Density:

6.8

Habit:

Aggregates - Made of numerous individual crystals or clusters.

Habit:

Platy - Sheet forms (e.g. micas).

Hardness:

5 - Apatite

Luster:

Vitreous - Adamantine

Optical Properties of Wolsendorfite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.194 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.204 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1588,KPDmeas= 0.1574,KC= 0.1318
Ncalc = 1.89 - 1.9

Optical Data:

Biaxial (?), a=2.05, g=2.09, bire=0.0400

Calculated Properties of Wolsendorfite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=5.62 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Wolsendorfite =6.80 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.04
Boson Index = 0.96

Photoelectric:

PE_{Wolsendorfite}=1,962.59 barns/electron
U=PE_{Wolsendorfite} x r_electron=11031.54 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 4,226,520.03 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Wolsendorfite per GRapi unit = 236.60 (PPB)

Wolsendorfite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.

Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 10 cm box) 7.20 ± 1.80 grams of pure Wolsendorfite .
Estimated Maximum U.S. Postal Shipping Size (10 mRem/hr limit, Unshielded 100 cm box) 719.66 ±179.92 grams of pure Wolsendorfite .

**Estimated Radioactivity from Wolsendorfite** - very strong
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *	Calculated Activity Bequerols (Bq)	Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)	Estimated Activity GR(api)	Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 6.55 cm	107,375,587	2.90E-03	4,226,520.03	1,389.54
100 gm / 3.04 cm	10,737,559	2.90E-04	422,652.00	138.95
10 gm / 1.41 cm	1,073,756	2.90E-05	42,265.20	13.90
1 gm / 6.55 mm	107,376	2.90E-06	4,226.52	1.39
0.1 gm / 3.04 mm	10,738	2.90E-07	422.65	0.14
0.01 gm / 1.41 mm	1,074	2.90E-08	42.27	0.01
0.001 gm / 0.65 mm	107	2.90E-09	4.23	0.00

Weight of pure Wolsendorfite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 6.80 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure ( 360 mRem) **
Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem

Wolsendorfite Classification

Dana Class:

05.04.03.02 (05)Oxides Containing Uranium and Thorium

(05.04)with alkaline-earth elements (hydrated)

(05.04.03)Dana Group

05.04.03.01 Metacalciouranoite (Ca,Na,Ba)U2O7•2(H2O) Ortho ? Ortho

05.04.03.02 Wolsendorfite (Pb,Ba,Ca)U2O7•2(H2O) Unk Ortho

Strunz Class:

04.GB.30 04 - OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodate

04.G - Uranyl Hydroxides

04.GB -With additional cations (K, Ca, Ba, Pb, etc.); with mainly UO2(O,OH)5 pentagonal polyhedra

04.GB.30 Wolsendorfite (Pb,Ba,Ca)U2O7•2(H2O) Unk Ortho

Other Wolsendorfite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Wolsendorfite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - GeoScienceWorld
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
12 - Online Mineral Museum
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - Uranium Minerals

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Wolsendorfite

(Pb,Ba,Ca)U2O7•2(H2O)
Dana No: 05.04.03.02 Strunz No: 04.GB.30
Locality:

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