Ilmenite
Description
A shiny, black, iron-containing Titanium ore. Ilmenite occurs naturally in many locations in the U.S. (New York, Wyoming), Canada (Quebec), Russia (Ilmen Mountains), Australia, Norway and India. It can also be made synthetically. Ilmenite is used in titanium containing Paint and enamels. For ceramics, ilmenite powder is used as a Glaze color and ilmenite granules are used to produce speckles. Ground ilmenite has been used as a dark colorant in pastels.
Synonyms and Related Terms
titanic iron ore; menaccanite; Titaneisen (Deut.); Ilmenit (Deut.); ilmenita (Esp.); ilménite (Fr.); ilmeniet (Ned.); ilmenite (Port.)
Other Properties
Hexagonal crystal system; thick tabular crystals. Fracture = conchoidal: brittle. Luster = metallic. Streak = black. Slightly magnetic.
| Composition | FeO.TiO2 |
|---|---|
| Mohs Hardness | 5 - 6 |
| Density | 4.5-5 |
Additional Information
Mineralogy Database: Ilmenite
Sources Checked for Data in Record
- Ralph Mayer, A Dictionary of Art Terms and Techniques, Harper and Row Publishers, New York, 1969 (also 1945 printing)
- Robert Fournier, Illustrated Dictionary of Practical Pottery, Chilton Book Company, Radnor, PA, 1992
- Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "ilmenite" Encyclopædia Britannica [Accessed December 11, 2001]
- C.W.Chesterman, K.E.Lowe, Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Rocks and Minerals, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1979
- Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilmenite (Accessed Sept. 7, 2005)
- Richard S. Lewis, Hawley's Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 10th ed., 1993
- Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997
- The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998