carnallite

[kahr-nl-ahyt]

noun Mineralogy.

a white hydrous chloride of potassium and magnesium, KMgCl3⋅6H2O, used chiefly as a source of potassium and magnesium.

Nearby words

Origin of carnallite

1875–85; named after R. von Carnall (1804–74), German mining official; see -ite¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for carnallite

At the point K we have the highest temperature at which carnallite can exist with magnesium chloride in contact with solution.
The Phase Rule and Its Applications|Alexander Findlay
It is also formed as a by-product in the manufacture of potassium chloride from carnallite.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 17, Slice 3|Various
Carnallite contains nearly a fourth of its weight of potassium chloride.
Cooley's Practical Receipts, Volume II|Arnold Cooley
What weight of carnallite is necessary in the preparation of 500 g. of magnesium?
An Elementary Study of Chemistry|William McPherson

In the first place it may be again noted that at a temperature above 167.5 (point M) carnallite cannot exist.
The Phase Rule and Its Applications|Alexander Findlay

British Dictionary definitions for carnallite

carnallite

noun

a white or sometimes coloured mineral consisting of a hydrated chloride of potassium and magnesium in orthorhombic crystalline form: a source of potassium and also used as a fertilizer. Formula: KCl.MgCl 2 .6H 2 O

Word Origin for carnallite

C19: named after Rudolf von Carnall (1804–74), German mining engineer; see -ite 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012