thorite

[thawr-ahyt, thohr-]

noun

1. a rare mineral, thorium silicate, ThSiO 4 , occurring in the form of yellow or black crystals.

thorite

/ ˈθɔːraɪt /

noun

1. a yellow, brownish, or black radioactive mineral consisting of tetragonal thorium silicate. It occurs in coarse granite and is a source of thorium. Formula: ThSiO 4

Word History and Origins

Origin of thorite¹

1825–35; thor- (as in thoria, thorium ) + -ite ¹, modeled on Swedish thorit

Example Sentences

Determinations of the atomic weight of lead from thorite, a thorium mineral nearly free from uranium, gave 208.4.

From Project Gutenberg