The halide mineral class include those minerals with a dominant halide anion (F⁻, Cl⁻, Br⁻ and I⁻). Complex halide minerals may also have polyatomic anions in addition to or that include halides.^[1]

Examples include the following:^[2][3]

• Halite NaCl
• Sylvite KCl
• Chlorargyrite AgCl and bromargyrite AgBr
• Fluorite CaF₂
• Atacamite Cu₂Cl(OH)₃
• Bischofite (MgCl₂·6H₂O)
• Carnallite KMgCl₃·6H₂O
• Cryolite Na₃AlF₆
• Cryptohalite (α)(NH₄)₂SiF₆
• Bararite (β)(NH₄)₂SiF₆

[edit] Commercially significant halide minerals

Two commercially important halide minerals are halite and fluorite. The former is a major source of sodium chloride, in parallel with sodium chloride extracted from sea water or brine wells. Fluorite is a major source of hydrogen fluoride, complementing the supply obtained as a byproduct of the production of fertilizer. Carnallite and bischofite are important sources of magnesium. Natural cryolite was historically required for the production of aluminium, however, currently most cryolite used is produced synthetically.

Many of the halide minerals occur in marine evaporite deposits.

[edit] References

1. ^ http://webmineral.com/strunz/strunz.php?class=03 Webmineral Halide Class
2. ^ Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius Hurlbut, Jr., Manual of Mineralogy, Wiley, 20th ed., 1985 pp. 320 - 325 ISBN 0-471-80580-7
3. ^ Anthony, J.W., Bideaux, R.A., Bladh, K.W., and Nichols, M.C. (1997) Handbook of Mineralogy, Volume III: Halides, Hydroxides, Oxides. Mineral Data Publishing, Tucson.
   • link to bararite
   • link to cryptohalite

[edit] External links

• Handbook of Mineralogy

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