What is Scorolite?

Hello everyone,

I have seen some lovely gemstone bead strands called “Scorolite”.
The colors were a range of lilac/grey with a semi-transparency.

I hoped someone would know more about this type of stone?

Michelle

Sorry not in any mineralogy or petrology text that I have, or in
Mindat.org database.

John

Scapolite fits that description.

a. Arsenic

Inorganic arsenic can occur in the environment in several oxidation

states (III and V) and forms (inorganic and organic). Natural water
contains mainly trivalent arsenite [As(III)] and/or pentavalent
arsenate [As(V)]. Organic arsenic species, abundant in seafood, are
very much less harmful to human health and are readily eliminated by
the body. Iron arsenate (FeAsO4) may be tentatively regarded as the
direct and immediate source of arsenic because it is easily formed
from Scorolite (FeAsO4,2H2O) and Pitticite (hydrated mixture of
arsenate and sulphate) which are very common alteration products of
Arsenopyrite (regarded as the primary mineral for arsenic). Since
Arsenopyrite contains As3+ in small proportion with As5+ as the
dominant constituent, it is quite likely that arsenic in the
alluvium of Bengal Delta occurs as ferric arsenate (FeAsO4) with
ferric arsenite (FeAsO3) in minor proportion. Under conditions of low
pH and high Eh (redox potential) ferric arsenate, due to hydrolysis
is dissociated (11) into arsenic acid (H3AsO4) whereas ferric
arsenite breaks down into arsenious acid (H3AsO3).

This is about all I could find as an explanation of what it is… I
think!

:slight_smile: Steve

Maybe they mean: Scorodite

Scor"o*dite, n. [G. scorodit; – so called in allusion to its smell
under the blowpipe, from Gr. ? garlic.] (Min.) A leek-green or
brownish mineral occurring in orthorhombic crystals. It is a hydrous
arseniate of iron. [Written also skorodite.]

http://www.mindat.org/photos/0608298001230013679.jpg

Maybe scorodite?
http://www.mindat.org/min-3595.html

Al Balmer
Sun City, AZ

I was able to locate the term scorolite in a paper on
geoenvironmental hazards in groundwater in India. It was cited as a
source of arsenic in the groundwater.

http://wbiis.tu.koszalin.pl/towarzystwo/2004/04mitali02_t.pdf

The paper gave a formula for scorolite which turned out to be that
of scorodite, an easy typographical error. Scorodite is a hydrous
ferric arsenate, and there is an article and picture in mindat:

http://www.mindat.org/min-3595.html

It can come in a color similar to that of the beads I saw online,
but the hardness is only 3-1/2 to 4.

I don’t know where this bead material is coming from, but the online
descriptions in Etsy, eBay and similar sites seem to be taken from
the same source, and are equally vague. They refer only to beads,
and describe the color, claim a color change in different lighting,
and that’s about it. Are the beads made of scorodite or is it a
misrepresentation or a made up name? I really have no way of saying,
but I hope someone tests a bead and finds out for sure what it is.

Carol
Carol J. Bova