apatite

apatite

apatite A widely distributed phosphate mineral, with the formula Ca5(PO4)3(F,Cl,OH); sp. gr. 3.1–3.3; hardness 5; hexagonal; usually a shade of green or grey-green, but may also be white, brown, yellow, bluish, or red; white streak; vitreous lustre; crystals commonly hexagonal prisms, and often tabular, also occurs massive, and granular; cleavage, basal {0001}, imperfect prismatic {1010}; found as an accessory mineral in igneous rock, in pegmatites and high-temperature hydrothermal veins, and in metamorphic rocks. It is the principal constituent of fossil bones (see also COLLOPHANE). Apatite is widely used as a phosphate fertilizer, and for the production of phosphoric acid and various other chemicals.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "apatite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "apatite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-apatite.html

AILSA ALLABY and MICHAEL ALLABY. "apatite." A Dictionary of Earth Sciences. 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O13-apatite.html

Learn more about citation styles

apatite

apatite , mineral, a phosphate of calcium containing chlorine or fluorine, or both, that is transparent to opaque in shades of green, brown, yellow, white, red, and purple. Apatite is a minor constituent in igneous and metamorphic rocks. Yellow-green asparagus stone and blue-green manganapatite are used in jewelry. Apatite is mined to make phosphatic fertilizers and is used in fission track dating of rocks (see dating ). Commercial deposits are mined in Idaho, Tennessee, and Wyoming, and in N Africa and Russia.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"apatite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"apatite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-apatite.html

"apatite." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-apatite.html

Learn more about citation styles

apatite

apatite A complex mineral form of the salt calcium phosphate, Ca5(PO4)3(OH,F,Cl), that is the main constituent of the enamel of teeth.

Show all research tools

Cite this article
Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography.

  • MLA
  • Chicago
  • APA

"apatite." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.

"apatite." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-apatite.html

"apatite." A Dictionary of Biology. 2004. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O6-apatite.html

Learn more about citation styles

Free newspaper and magazine articles

Apatite.(Jewel of the Month)
Magazine article from: Jewelers Circular Keystone; 11/1/2004
ORTHOPAEDICS: Apatite-organic polymer composites may prove useful in bone repair
Newspaper article from: Biomedical Materials; 2/1/1996
Nanocrystalline apatite-based biomaterials.(Brief article)(Book review)
Magazine article from: SciTech Book News; 6/1/2009

Facts and information from other sites

apatite images
apatite. Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain)