Chemical Education Today
Letters Fluorite Mineral Samples The Cover of the June 2008 issue of J. Chem. Educ.(1) featured fluorite mineral samples to highlight an article on exploring solid-state structure and physical properties (2). A reader has pointed out that “the red mineral near the bottom of the mineral circle is rhodochrosite (MnCO3), not fluorite (CaF2). All of the other pictures appear to be correctly labeled as fluorite. Fluorite occurs widely in most colors of the rainbow, except red (especially intensely red), which is rather rare.” The red mineral is rhodochrosite. There are, however, also small crystals of fluorite on the rhodochrosite. We apologize that this was misleading, and have reproduced that lovely mineral sample here so the fluorite crystals are more visible.
Rhodochrosite coated with minute fluorite crystals from Rainbow Pocket, Sweet Home Mine, Alma, Colorado (8.4 cm x 4.3 cm x 3.8 cm); courtesy of irocks. com/Rob Lavinsky.
Literature Cited
1. Exploring Solid-State Structure and Physical Properties. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85 (6), Cover. 2. Bindel, T. H. J. Chem. Educ. 2008, 85, 822–824.
Supporting JCE Online Material
http://www.jce.divched.org/Journal/Issues/2008/Aug/abs1051_2.html Full text (HTML and PDF) with links to cited JCE articles
© Division of Chemical Education • www.JCE.DivCHED.org • Vol. 85 No. 8 August 2008 • Journal of Chemical Education
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