vanthoffite

English

Etymology

From Vanthoff +‎ -ite, named for Dutch physical chemist and Nobel Prize winner Jacobus Hendricus van 't Hoff, Jr (1852-1911).

Noun

vanthoffite (uncountable)

1. (minerals, mineralogy) A monoclinic-prismatic colorless mineral containing magnesium, oxygen, sodium, and sulfur.
   • 1914, Journal of the Chemical Society, Volume 106, Part 2, page 376:

     The principal changes which have taken place in the deposits are those of kieserite and rock salt into vanthoffite and loewite, and of carnallite into sylvite. The vanthoffite crystals are almost pure.

   • 1968, Robert Kühn, Geochemistry of the German Potash Deposits, Richard B. Mattox (editor), Saline Deposits: A Symposium based on Papers from the International Conference on Saline Deposits, Houton Texas, 1962, Geological Society of America, Special Paper 88, page 431,

     At high temperatures there is a separation of the “thermophile” salts, halite, anhydrite, thenardite, bloedite, vanthoffite, loeweite, kainite, and langbeinite, which have a negative coefficient of solubility.

   • 1980, P. A. Storm, The Great Salt Lake Brine System, J. Wallace Gwynn (editor), Great Salt Lake: A Scientific, Historical and Economic Overview, Utah Geological and Mineral Survey, Bulletin 116, page 150,

     Other sodium bearing minerals that can be produced through solar evaporation are astrakainite. glaserite, and vanthoffite.

References

• David Barthelmy (1997–2024) “Vanthoffite”, in Webmineral Mineralogy Database.