colemanite

American  

[kohl-muh-nahyt] / ˈkoʊl məˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a mineral, hydrous calcium borate, Ca 2 B 6 O 11 ⋅5H 2 O, occurring in colorless or milky-white crystals.

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colemanite British  

/ ˈkəʊlməˌnaɪt /

noun

1. a colourless or white glassy mineral consisting of hydrated calcium borate in monoclinic crystalline form. It occurs with and is a source of borax. Formula: Ca 2 B 6 O 11 .5H 2 O

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Etymology

Origin of colemanite

Named in 1884 after W. T. Coleman of San Francisco, in whose mine it was found; see -ite ¹

Example Sentences

The crude colemanite as mined carries an average of about 25 per cent B_2O_3; it is treated with soda in the manufacture of borax, or with sulphuric acid in making boric acid.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

The deposits which at present constitute the principal source of domestic borax are not the playa deposits just described, but are masses of colemanite in Tertiary clays and limestones with interbedded basaltic flows.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

The salts contained in these deposits are mainly borax, ulexite, and colemanite.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)

It is found in some arid countries, as southern California and Tibet, but is now made commercially from the mineral colemanite, which is the calcium salt of a complex boric acid.

From An Elementary Study of Chemistry by McPherson, William

The colemanite occurs in irregular milky-white layers or nodules, mingled with more or less gypsum.

From The Economic Aspect of Geology by Leith, C. K. (Charles Kenneth)