Base de données des minéraux luminescents 

BENITOITE

Formule chimique: BaTiSi₃O₉

Famille: Silicates

Statut: IMA-GP

Système cristallin : Hexagonal

Minéral de vitrine: OUI

Luminescence:

Photo en lumière du jour

BENITOITE;
Photo and Copyright: James Hamblen
Site of the author
Used with permission of the author

Photo Ondes longues (365nm)

BENITOITE, UVLW ;
Photo and Copyright: G. Barmarin

Photo Ondes Courtes (254nm)

BENITOITE;
UVSW
Photo and Copyright: James Hamblen
Site of the author
Used with permission of the author

Galerie de photos:

  
  Accès à la galerie complète (42 images au total)

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Phosphorescence (au sens commun du terme) observable à l'oeil nu:

Activateur(s) et spectre(s):

Activateur(s): TiO₆, Cr³⁺,  Fe³⁺,  Ti³⁺,  Ti⁴⁺,  Cu⁺,  Mn⁴⁺,  Ti - O,  

Pics dans le spectre (nm):

TiO₆ : broad band at 419nm (due to the transition of ³T₁ → ¹A₁ in the TiO₆ octahedra)
Ti³⁺ : broad band around 650-660nm with half-width of +/-135nm 
Cr³⁺ : peak at 680nm
Mn⁴⁺ : large band at 720nm
Cu⁺? replacing Ba²⁺ and Ti³⁺?  (exc 337nm:(Gorobets)): 720nm
450nm (exc 254nm)

Spectrum: Michael Gaft, Petah Tikva, Israel. Plot: Institute of Mineralogy, University of Vienna, Austria, with permission of the authors.

Galerie de spectres:

  
  Accès à la galerie complète (3 images au total)

Commentaires sur les spectres et les activateurs (*):

Robbins cites Fe as activator for the red color and Ti for the blue; recent spectrographic studies give new data:
There are three broadbands:
- one around 419 nm (blue band) is connected with intrinsic luminescence centers, namely isolated TiO₆ octahedra,
- one at 650 nm (Yellow band) for Ti³⁺ ,
- one at 720 (half-width 125nm) for Mn⁴⁺
and a narrow line at 680 for Cr³⁺.(Gaft)

Manganese participation is supported by chemical analysis of benitoite (0.03 to 0.11%).

The metastable level ³T_1u is the emitting level at low temperatures with a long decay time of 1.1 ms. At higher temperatures an energy level with higher radiation probability must be involved in the emission process, and this level is situated at 0.06 eV higher than the lowest level. These two levels may be connected with ³T_1u level splitting or with closely spaced ³T_1u and ³T_2u levels.

Decay time shortening and thermal quenching are connected with nonradiative decay within the TiO₆ luminescence center, while energy migration does not take place at least up to room temperature.
(Source: M. Gaft, L. Nagli, G. Waychunas and D. Weiss, The nature of blue luminescence from natural benitoite, Physics and Chemistry of Minerals, vol31, 2004)

The red emission of benitoite consists of two individual bands and one line and suggest that the activators of luminescence in benitoite system are Ti³⁺ and a d3 element, namely Cr³⁺ or Mn⁴⁺.
(Source: M. Gaft, L. Nagli, G. Waychunas and G. Panczer, The nature of red luminescence of natural benitoite, Mineralogy and Petrology, Vol85, 2005)

(*)Les commentaires sur les spectres sont uniquement rédigés en Anglais

Meilleure(s) localité(s) pour la fluorescence (*):

• Benitoite Gem Mine, San Benito County, California, USA;
• Big Creek and Rush Creek junction, Fresno County, California, USA;
• Esquire #1 Claim, Rush Creek, Fresno County, California, USA;
• Victor Mine, San Benito County, California, USA;
• Kinzandani, Hashidate, Ohmi, Itoigawa City, Niigata Prefecture, Chubu Region, Honshu Island, Japan;

(*)Les données ne sont pas exhaustives et sont limitées à quelques localités remarquables pour la fluorescence

Référence bibliographique pour la luminescence:

• The Henkel Glossary of Fluorescent Minerals, Dr. Gerhard Henkel, Published by the FMS, 1989 ,
• Fluorescence: Gems and Minerals Under Ultraviolet Light, Manuel Robbins, 1994, Geoscience Press, ISBN 0-945005-13-X ,
• The World of Fluorescent Minerals, Stuart Schneider, Schiffer Publishing, 2006, ISBN 0-7643-2544-2 ,
• Luminescence Spectroscopy of Minerals and Materials, M. Gaft, R. Reisfeld, G. Panczer, Springer Editor, ISBN: 10 3-540-21918-8 ,
• Luminescent Spectra of Minerals, Boris S. Gorobets and Alexandre A. Rogojine, Moscow, 2002 ,

Référence pour la luminescence sur internet:

Référence minéralogique sur internet:

  http://www.mindat.org/show.php?name=Benitoite

  http://webmineral.com/data/Benitoite.shtml

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