Phosphates: Vanadinite

Diagnostic card.

Pb ₅ (VO ₄ ) ₃ Cl
Shingoniya hexagonal
Hardness
Specific weight 6,5-7,1
Cleavage is absent
Fracture brittle, brittle
Color yellow, brown, orange-red
Color in powder light yellow
Shine diamond, greasy

Vanadinite, - chloride-vanadate of lead. The gloss is oily to diamond, transparent to translucent. Colors: orange to red, less often brown. The line is light yellow. The fracture is uneven. It's fragile. Cleavage is absent. It forms in the oxidation zone of lead deposits. Crystals (hexagonal syngony) are needle-like, small, dense aggregates, clusters are found. The source of the associated production of vanadium. It occurs in the deposits of Carinthia (Austria), Spain, Rhodesia, USA, Mexico.

Vanadinite forms crystals that do not differ in the variety of forms, mostly prismatic or barrel-shaped. Coloring orange-red, brown-red, ruby-red, yellow. Color orange red, ruby ​​red, brownish red in all directions; Also reddish-brown, brown, brownish-yellow, yellow, pale straw-yellow.

Chemical composition - content (in%) :; V2O5-17-19; PbO = 75 - 79; As2O5 3-13; Cl - 2.4 - 2.6; CaO to 3.5. Glitter - polusmolisty to semi-diamond. Shingonia - Hexagonal; Hexagonal-dipyramidal. Cleavage - according to {001} perfect, according to {010} clear. Aggregates - Short-prismatic crystals up to long-prismatic along [0001], usually with smooth faces and sharp edges; Also acicular to hairline. Sometimes cavernous, crystals in the form of hollow prisms; Also in rounded forms and parallel groups, like pyromorphite-mimeset; skeletal; In the form of flattened nodules.

Vanadinitis. Crystals up to 1 cm. Berezovskoye deposit, Cf. Ural, Russia. Photo: © А.А. Evseev.

Vanadinitis. Morocco. Photo: © А.А. Evseev.

Vanadinitis on goethite. Morocco. (2011).

Diagnostic signs.
Easily melts in the flame; Soluble in nitric acid; If this solution is evaporated, a red precipitate is formed (instead of white, as in the other minerals of this group). Easily melts. In the close. Tr. Cracked and gives an insignificant amount of lead chloride sublimate. Easily soluble in HNO3, forming a yellow solution; Is dissolved in HCl to form a green solution and a lead chloride precipitate.

Origin.
Like pyromorphite or mimetite, vanadinite is a secondary mineral of the oxidation zone of lead deposits; But unlike the first two, it is more rare.

Deposits and applications.
Occurs in the Urals, in Austria, Scotland. Large crystals are mined in the Mibladen deposit in Morocco. Ruby-red and brown-red hexagonal crystals of vanadinite from different deposits in the states of Arizona and New Mexico are known. Vanadinite is used as a vanadium ore.

Vanadinitis. Miabladen, Morocco. Crystals up to 2 cm. Photo: © А.А. Evseev.

Vanadinitis. Chihuahua, Mexico. Crystals up to 1 cm. Photo: © А.А. Evseev.

In the human body, vanadium participates in oxidation-reduction processes, respiration, hematopoiesis. It plays an important role in the processes of growth and reproduction, and also slows the synthesis of cholesterol, it is necessary for the formation of bone tissue and teeth. The human body contains about 100 μg of vanadium. Absorbed 5% of vanadium, ingested, orally (as vanadyl or vanadate). Vanadium is a part of muscle and bone tissue, can accumulate in the heart muscle, spleen, thyroid, lungs, kidneys. Urine is the main excretion method for absorbed vanadium, and bones are the main place of deposition (content).

The compounds containing vanadium exhibit an antitumor effect. Signs of vanadium deficiency: Vanadium deficiency can be one of the causes of diseases of the cardiovascular system and kidneys, an increased risk of atherosclerosis, an increased risk of developing diabetes, a reduction in reproductive capacity and an increase in infant mortality. When growing goats on a vanadium-depleted diet, there was an increase in the number of miscarriages (late in pregnancy) and mortality among newborn animals. Both biologically active forms of vanadium (vanadate and vanadyl) exhibit insulin action. In fact, all the effects of insulin, aimed at regulating the metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids, are simulated by vanadium compounds.

In acute exposure to toxic doses of vanadium, chemical burns are noted - local inflammatory reactions of the skin and mucous membranes of the eyes, upper respiratory tract, congestion of mucus in the bronchi and alveoli. There are also systemic allergic reactions such as asthma and eczema, as well as leukopenia and anemia. In schizophrenia, the content of vanadium in the blood increases significantly. The main manifestations of excess vanadium: a decrease in the content of ascorbic acid in the body, a decrease in the content of cystine in the hair, an increase in the incidence of bronchopulmonary system diseases, an increase in the risk of developing tumors.

ADR 6.1
Toxic substances (poison)
Risk of poisoning by inhalation, in contact with skin or if swallowed. Dangerous to aquatic environment or sewer system
Use a mask for emergency leaving the vehicle
White diamond, ADR number, black skull and crossbones

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