Editing Albite (section)

{{short description|Tectosilicate mineral, plagioclase feldspar variety}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name        = Albite
| category    = [[Tectosilicate]] [[minerals]], [[feldspar]] [[Mineral group|group]], [[plagioclase]] series
| boxwidth    = 
| boxbgcolor  =#afada3 
| image       = Albite - Crete (Kriti) Island, Greece.jpg
| imagesize   = 
| caption     = {{ubl|Albite from Crete|(scale = {{convert|1|in|abbr=on}})}}
| formula     = {{chem|NaAlSi|3|O|8}} or {{chem|Na|1.0–0.9|Ca|0.0–0.1|Al|1.0–1.1|Si|3.0–2.9|O|8}}
|IMAsymbol=Ab<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| molweight   = 
| strunz      = 9.FA.35
| system      = [[Triclinic]]
| class       = {{ubl|Pinacoidal ({{overline|1}})|(same [[H-M symbol]])}}
| symmetry    = ''C''{{overline|1}}
| unit cell   = {{ubl|1=a = 8.16, b = 12.87|2=c = 7.11&nbsp;[Å]; α = 93.45°|3=β = 116.4°, γ = 90.28°; Z&nbsp;=&nbsp;4}}
| color       = White to gray, blueish, greenish, reddish; may be [[chatoyant]]
| habit       = Crystals commonly tabular, divergent aggregates, granular, cleavable massive
| twinning    = Common giving polysynthetic striae on {001} or {010} also contact, simple and multiple
| cleavage    = Perfect on {001}, very good on {010}, imperfect on {110}
| fracture    = Uneven to conchoidal
| tenacity    = Brittle
| mohs        = 6–6.5
| luster      = Vitreous, typically pearly on cleavages
| polish      = 
| refractive  = {{ubl|1=''n''<sub>α</sub> = 1.528–1.533|2=''n''<sub>β</sub> = 1.532–1.537|3=''n''<sub>γ</sub> = 1.538–1.542}}
| opticalprop = Biaxial (+)
| birefringence = ''δ'' = 0.010
| dispersion  = ''r'' < ''v'' weak
| pleochroism = 
| 2V          = 85–90° (low); 52–54° (high)
| melt        = {{convert|1100|-|1120|°C|abbr=on}}
| fluorescence= 
| absorption  =
| streak      = White
| gravity     = 2.60–2.65
| density     = 
| fusibility  = 
| diagnostic  = 
| solubility  = 
| diaphaneity = Transparent to translucent
| other       = Low- and high-temperature structural modifications are recognized
| references  = <ref name=Handbook>[http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/albite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy]</ref><ref name= Mindat>[http://www.mindat.org/min-96.html Mindat.org]</ref><ref name=Webmin>[http://www.webmineral.com/data/Albite.shtml Webmineral data]</ref>
}}

'''Albite''' is a [[plagioclase]] [[feldspar]] [[mineral]]. It is the sodium [[Endmember (mineralogy)|endmember]] of the plagioclase [[solid solution]] series. It represents a plagioclase with less than 10% [[anorthite]] content. The pure albite endmember has the formula {{chem|[[sodium|Na]][[aluminium|Al]][[silicon|Si]]|3|[[oxygen|O]]|8}}. It is a [[Silicate minerals|tectosilicate]]. Its color is usually pure white, hence its name from [[Latin]], {{lang|la|albus}}.<ref>{{EB1911|wstitle=Albite|inline=1}}</ref> It is a common constituent in [[felsic]] rocks.