Database of luminescent Minerals

BOLTWOODITE

Chemical Formula: (K,Na)(UO₂)(SiO₃OH) 1,5H₂O

Familly: Silicates

Status: IMA-GP

Mineral for Display: No

Luminescence:

Daylight Picture

BOLTWOODITE, Rössing Mine, Namibia;

Col. G.Barmarin; Photo: G. Barmarin

Long Waves Picture (365nm)

BOLTWOODITE, Rössing Mine, Namibia; UVLW

Col. G.Barmarin; Photo: G. Barmarin

Short Waves Pictures (254nm)

BOLTWOODITE, Rössing Mine, Namibia; UVSW

Col. G.Barmarin; Photo: G. Barmarin

Galerie de photos:

     To the gallery (3 images in the gallery)

Phosphorescence (in the common meaning of the term) seen by naked eye:

Comments:

Fluoresces dull yellowish-green to brown in both SW and LW UV

Main Activator(s) and spectrum:

Most Common Activator: (UO₂)²⁺ (Uranyl ion) intrinsic

Peaks in the spectrum (nm):

470, 500, 520, 545, (555), 565-570 

large band around 578nm with events at 503, 521, 563 and 602nm 

485.1, 501.5, 521.2, 543.0, 567.4, and 591.4 nm (Thuro Arnold and Nils Baumann)

Comments on activators and spectra:

Gorobets: 18850 cm-1, 18050 cm-1;

fluorescence lifetimes of 382 and 2130 ns (bi-exponential)

Best Locality for luminescence(*):

• Rössing Mine, Arandis, Swakopmund District, Erongo Region, Namibia;
• New Method Mine, San Bernardino County, California, USA (dull green SW associated with fluoborite cream SW);

(*)Data are not exhaustive and are limited to the most important localities for fluorescence

Bibliographical Reference for luminescence:

• The Henkel Glossary of Fluorescent Minerals, Dr. Gerhard Henkel, Published by the FMS, 1989 ,
• Fluorescence: Gems and Minerals Under Ultraviolet Light, Manuel Robbins, 1994, Geoscience Press, ISBN 0-945005-13-X ,
• Luminescent Spectra of Minerals, Boris S. Gorobets and Alexandre A. Rogojine, Moscow, 2002 ,
• Uranium minerals Website: http://www.uraniumminerals.com ,
• Introduction to radioactive minerals, Robert Lauf, Schiffer Publishing, 2008, ISBN 978-0-7643-2912-8 ,

Luminescence Reference on internet:

• A NEW METHOD OF SYNTHESIS OF BOLTWOODIT AND OF FORMATION OF SODIUM BOLTWOODITE URANOPHANE, SKLODOWSKITE AND KASOLITE FROM BOLTWOODITE, Renaud Vochten, Canadian Mineralogist, Vol. 35, 1997
• Boltwoodite [K(UO2)(SiO3OH)(H2O)1.5] and compreignacite K2[(UO2)3O2(OH)3]2·7H2O characterized by laser fluorescence spectroscopy, Thuro Arnold and Nils Baumann, Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy, Volume 71, Issue 5, January 2009, Pages 1964-1968.
• http://www.handbookofmineralogy.com/pdfs/boltwoodite.pdf

Mineralogical Reference on internet:

  http://www.mindat.org/show.php?name=Boltwoodite

  http://webmineral.com/data/Boltwoodite.shtml

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