chrysotile
Sign in to saveAlso known as chrysotile asbestos, parachrysotile, orthochrysotile, clinochrysotile
Chrysotile (/ˈkrɪsəˌtʌɪl/, /ˈkrɪsəˌtaɪl/, or /ˈkrɪsətɪl/) or white asbestos is the most commonly encountered form of asbestos, accounting for approximately 95% of the asbestos in the United States and a similar proportion in other countries. It is a soft, fibrous silicate mineral in the serpentine subgroup of phyllosilicates; as such, it is distinct from other asbestiform minerals in the amphibole group. Its idealized chemical formula is Mg(SiO)(OH). The material has physical properties which make it desirable for inclusion in building materials, but poses serious health risks when dispersed i
Key facts
- Mineral.boxbgcolor
- c0d1a2
- Mineral.name
- Chrysotile
- Mineral.category
- Phyllosilicate minerals
- Mineral.group
- Kaolinite-Serpentine group, serpentine subgroup
- Mineral.image
- Chrysotile 1.jpg
- Mineral.formula
- Mg(SiO)(OH)(ideal)
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Ctl
- Mineral.molweight
- 277.11 g/mol (ideal)
- Mineral.strunz
- 9.ED.15
- Mineral.system
- Monoclinic: clinochrysotile (most common)Orthorhombic: orthochrysotile and parachrysotile (both rare)
- Mineral.class
- Clinochrysotile: prismatic (2/m)Orthochrysotile and parachrysotile: pyramidal (mm2)
- Mineral.symmetry
- Clinochrysotile: C2/mOrthochrysotile and parachrysotile: Ccm21
- Mineral.colour
- White to greyish green
- Mineral.habit
- Acicular
- Mineral.fracture
- Fibrous
- Mineral.mohs
- 2.5–3
- Mineral.lustre
- Silky
- Mineral.refractive
- nα = 1.569, nγ = 1.570
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Chrysotile 1.jpg
Show 6 more facts
- Nickel-Strunz 9th edition (updated 2009)
- 9.ED.15
- Commons category
- Chrysotile
- Nickel-Strunz '10th ed', review of (9th ed/ 2009 update)
- 9.ED.15
- IMA Mineral Symbol
- Ctl
- chemical formula
- Mg₃Si₂O₅(OH)₄
- Strunz 8th edition (series ID, updated)
- VIII/E.10b
Sources (2)
via Wikidata · CC0
~10 min read
Article
11 sectionsContents
- Polytypes
- Physical properties
- Chemical properties
- Applications
- Safety concerns
- Critics of safety regulations
- 1990s: Canada-European dispute GATT dispute
- 2000s: Canadian exports face mounting global criticism
- See also
- References
- External links
Chrysotile (/ˈkrɪsəˌtʌɪl/, /ˈkrɪsəˌtaɪl/, or /ˈkrɪsətɪl/) or white asbestos is the most commonly encountered form of asbestos, accounting for approximately 95% of the asbestos in the United States and a similar proportion in other countries. It is a soft, fibrous silicate mineral in the serpentine subgroup of phyllosilicates; as such, it is distinct from other asbestiform minerals in the amphibole group. Its idealized chemical formula is Mg(SiO)(OH). The material has physical properties which make it desirable for inclusion in building materials, but poses serious health risks when dispersed into air and inhaled.
==Polytypes== Three polytypes of chrysotile are known. These are very difficult to distinguish in hand specimens, and polarized light microscopy must normally be used. Some older publications refer to chrysotile as a group of minerals—the three polytypes listed below, and sometimes pecoraite as well—but the 2006 recommendations of the International Mineralogical Association prefer to treat it as a single mineral with a certain variation in its naturally occurring forms.