Knowra Pollucite Pollucite Pollucite is a rare cesium-rich zeolite mineral with the ideal formula CsAlSi₂O₆·H₂O. It occurs chiefly in granitic pegmatites and is an important cesium ore.
Zeolite : A mineral with a porous aluminosilicate framework that can host water and exchangeable ions. Pollucite belongs to this framework-mineral family, whose open structures accommodate large cesium ions.
Cesium extraction : The processes used to recover cesium from minerals, brines, or other feedstocks. Pollucite is mined and chemically processed as a principal mineral source of cesium.
Bikita mine : A major lithium and cesium mine in southeastern Zimbabwe. Its pegmatites contain one of the best-known commercial pollucite deposits.
Analcime : A sodium-rich zeolite mineral with the formula NaAlSi₂O₆·H₂O. Analcime has a related framework and ideal formula, but sodium replaces pollucite’s cesium.
Aluminosilicate : A compound or mineral containing aluminum, silicon, and oxygen, often with additional elements. Pollucite’s framework is built from linked aluminum- and silicon-centered oxygen tetrahedra.
Cesium formate : A dense cesium salt used in specialized fluids, especially high-pressure oil and gas drilling. Cesium recovered from pollucite can be converted into this high-value drilling-fluid chemical.
Tanco mine : A rare-element pegmatite mine at Bernic Lake in Manitoba, Canada. The mine is known for pollucite-bearing pegmatite and production of cesium minerals.
Leucite : A potassium-rich feldspathoid mineral with the formula KAlSi₂O₆. Leucite shares a similar aluminosilicate composition but is not a hydrated zeolite.
Cesium : A soft, highly reactive alkali metal with atomic number 55. Cesium occupies pollucite’s large framework sites and gives the mineral its economic value.
Atomic clock : A clock that measures time using the stable frequency of an atomic transition. Pollucite-derived cesium can ultimately supply the element used in cesium frequency standards.
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