A fragment of ulexite displaying characteristic optical property

Ulexite from California

Ulexite (NaCaB₅O₉·8H₂O) (hydrated sodium calcium borate hydroxide) is a mineral occurring in silky white rounded crystalline masses or in parallel fibers. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Sodium (ˈsoʊdiəm is an element which has the symbol Na( Latin natrium, from Arabic natrun) atomic number 11 atomic mass 22 Calcium (ˈkælsiəm is the Chemical element with the symbol Ca and Atomic number 20 Boron (ˈbɔərɒn is a Chemical element with Atomic number 5 and the chemical symbol B. Oxygen (from the Greek roots ὀξύς (oxys (acid literally "sharp" from the taste of acids and -γενής (-genēs (producer literally begetteris the Water is a common Chemical substance that is essential for the survival of all known forms of Life. A mineral is a naturally occurring substance formed through geological processes that has a characteristic chemical composition a highly ordered atomic structure and specific It was named after the German chemist Georg Ludwig Ulex (1811−1883) who first discovered it.

Ulexite is a structurally complex mineral, with a basic structure containing chains of sodium, water and hydroxide octahedra. The chains are linked together by calcium, water, hydroxide and oxygen polyhedra and massive boron units. The boron units have a formula of B₅O₆(OH)₆ and a charge of -3, and are composed of three borate tetrahedra and two borate triangular groups. Hardness is 2 (softer than a fingernail) and specific gravity is approximately 1. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various Minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer material Specific gravity is defined as the ratio of the Density of a given solid or liquid substance to the density of water at a specific temperature and pressure typically 97.

Ulexite is found with the mineral borax and is directly deposited in arid regions from the evaporation of water in intermittent lakes called playas. Borax (from Persian burah) also known as sodium borate, sodium tetraborate, or disodium tetraborate, is an important Boron The precipitated ulexite commonly forms a "cotton ball" tuft of acicular crystals. Ulexite is also found in a vein-like bedding habit composed of closely-packed fibrous crystals, also known as "TV rock" or "TV stone" due to its unusual optical characteristics. Television ( TV) is a widely used Telecommunication medium for sending ( Broadcasting) and receiving moving Images, either monochromatic The fibers of TV rock act as fiber optics, transmitting light along their lengths by internal reflection, and when a piece of TV rock is cut with flat polished faces perpendicular to the orientation of the fibers a good-quality specimen will display an image of whatever surface is adjacent to its other side (as shown in the photograph). An optical fiber (or fibre) is a Glass or Plastic fiber that carries Light along its length

Ulexite from California

The fiber-optic effect is the result of the polarization of light into slow and fast rays within each fiber, the internal reflection of the slow ray, and the refraction of the fast ray into the slow ray of an adjacent fiber. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. An interesting consequence is the generation of three cones, two of which are polarized, when a laser beam obliquely illuminates the fibers. These cones can be seen when viewing a light source through the mineral as discovered by E. Aalto and explained by D. Garlick and B. Kamb (J. Geol. Ed. , 1991).

Ulexite decomposes in hot water.

Ulexite can only use this Fiber optic property when it is polished and has two smooth sides

Ulexite is found principally in California and Nevada, USA; Tarapaca Region in Chile, and Kazakhstan. California ( is a US state on the West Coast of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. Nevada ( is a state located in the western region of the United States of America. Provinces and municipalities Iquique 2 Iquique (Regional and provincial capital Alto Hospicio Chile, officially the Republic of Chile ( Spanish:) is a country in South America occupying a long and narrow Coastal strip wedged between the Kazakhstan, also Kazakstan ( Қазақстан, Qazaqstan, qɑzɑqˈstɑn Казахстан, Kazakhstán,) officially the

External links

• http://www.gc.maricopa.edu/earthsci/imagearchive/ulexite.htm

See also

• List of minerals
• List of minerals named after people