Apatite – Harry & Co Jewellery

General Information and Occurrences of Apatite

Apatite is a phosphate mineral in the apatite group, with a hexagonal crystal system.
It is usually green but can also be colorless, yellow, blue, violet, or pink.
Apatite is commonly found as an accessory mineral in igneous and metamorphic rocks.
It can also be found in clastic sedimentary rocks and phosphorite, a phosphate-rich sedimentary rock.

Apatite is primarily used as a source of phosphate in fertilizer manufacturing and other industrial applications.
It has been used as a pigment in ancient Chinese terracotta and enamel for metalware.
A byproduct of apatite digestion with sulfuric acid is hydrogen fluoride, which can be used in the production of hydrofluoric acid.
Apatite can be a source of uranium and vanadium as trace elements.
It was used in the Halophosphor fluorescent tube phosphor system.

Apatite is occasionally used as a gemstone, with faceted and cabochon-cut varieties.
Chatoyant apatite stones are known as 'cats-eye apatite.'
Transparent green apatite stones are known as 'asparagus stone.'
Blue apatite stones have been called 'moroxite.'
Major sources of gem apatite include Brazil, Myanmar, Mexico, and several other countries.

The thermodynamic properties of apatite have been studied, including its enthalpies of formation and structural properties.
Apatite has been found in moon rocks collected during the Apollo program.
Re-analysis of these samples revealed the presence of water trapped in apatite as hydroxyl, suggesting the existence of water on the lunar surface.
Estimates indicate that the lunar surface could contain water at a rate of at least 64 parts per billion, 100 times greater than previous estimates.
If the minimum amount of mineral-locked water were converted to liquid, it would cover the Moon's surface in approximately one meter of water.

Ectomycorrhizal fungi Suillus granulatus and Paxillus involutus can release elements from apatite.
Mycorrhizal fungi increase phosphorus uptake in plants through the release of phosphate from apatite.
Apatite is a prototype of chemically, stoichiometrically, or structurally similar minerals, biological materials, and synthetic chemicals.
Minerals similar to apatite are known as apatites, such as lead apatite (pyromorphite) and barium apatite (alforsite).
Apatites have potential uses as pigments, phosphors, and for absorbing and immobilizing toxic heavy metals.

Reference	URL
Glossary	https://harryandcojewellery.com.au/blogs/glossary/apatite
Wikipedia	http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apatite
Wikidata	https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q178397
Knowledge Graph	https://www.google.com/search?kgmid=/m/011k2s