Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Hundreds of minerals are chiral, that is, they appear in nature in two forms – left-handed and right-handed. Yet except for quartz, that key structural property remained, by-and-large in the shadow of the world of minerals in research, in museum displays, and for collectors. This review is devoted for providing a full picture of chiral minerals in nature. It starts with a general outline of the crystallographic background needed for the characterization of chiral minerals, continues with a detailed description of the many chemical and physical processes leading to their formation, follows with their chemical reactivities and transformations, with their physical properties, and with the ways to analyze and identify them. Many tables with listings of the various types of chiral minerals, are provided. It is hoped that this review will spark interest in this aspect nature’s crystals.
Source: Minerals
DOI: 10.3390/min14100995
Author: David Avnir
Institution: Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Language: English
Subfield: Geochemistry and Petrology
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,728
OpenAlex ID: W4402986684