Database of luminescent minerals 

PHENACITE

Chemical formula: Be₂SiO₄

Family: Silicates

Status: IMA-GP

Display mineral: NON

Luminescence:

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Phosphorescence (in the common sense of the term) observable with the naked eye:

Activator(s) and spectrum:

Activator(s): Mn²⁺ , Fe³⁺,  

No spectrum yet

Comments on spectrum and activators:

Phenakite was studied by steady-state luminescence spectroscopy and supposedly Fe³⁺ emission was found (Gorobets and Rogojine 2001).

Excitation by CW laser with 532 and 780 nm revealed several luminescence lines which may be evidently ascribed to Nd³⁺ and band peaking at 670 nm of unknown origin.

Phenacite (containing Be) and willemite (containing Zn) are isostructural and can be mixed in composition. Mn as activator gives orange-red luminescent color.

Russian scientist demonstrated that trivalent Fe could give the pure red luminescent color for phenacite like in Madagascar samples and in feldspar.

Best localities for fluorescence (*):

• Mount Antero, Chaffe county, Colorado, USA; Madagascar;

(*)The data are not exhaustive and are limited to a few remarkable localities for fluorescence

Bibliographic reference for 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 ,
• 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 ,

Mineralogical reference on the Internet:

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

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

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