Fluorite on Sphalerite, Cave In Rock, Illinois
Image details
Contributor:
Phil Degginger / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
CBPW12File size:
35.9 MB (1.7 MB Compressed download)Releases:
Model - no | Property - noDo I need a release?Dimensions:
4191 x 2994 px | 35.5 x 25.3 cm | 14 x 10 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
9 February 2008More information:
Fluorite (also called fluorspar) is a halide mineral composed of calcium fluoride, CaF2. Fluorite is a colorful mineral, both in visible and ultraviolet light, and the stone has ornamental and lapidary uses. Industrially, fluorite is used as a flux for smelting, and in the production of certain glasses and enamels. The purest grades of fluorite are a source of fluoride for hydrofluoric acid manufacture, which is the intermediate source of most fluorine-containing fine chemicals. Optically clear transparent fluorite lenses have low dispersion, so lenses made from it exhibit less chromatic aberration, making them valuable in microscopes and telescopes. Fluorite optics are also usable in the far-ultraviolet range where conventional glasses are too absorbent for use.
