What is "gadolinite"

Gadolinite \Gad"o*lin*ite\, n. [Named after Gadolin, a Russian chemist.] (Min.) A mineral of a nearly black color and vitreous luster, and consisting principally of the silicates of yttrium, cerium, and iron.

n. (context mineral English) A dark, vitreous mineral that is a complex mixture of silicates of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, beryllium, and iron, with the chemical formula (cerium,lanthanum,neodymium,yttrium)₂ironberyllium₂silicon₂oxygen₁₀.

n. a mineral that is a source of rare earths; consists of silicates of iron and beryllium and cerium and yttrium and erbium [syn: ytterbite]

Gadolinite, sometimes known as Ytterbite, is a silicate mineral consisting principally of the silicates of cerium, lanthanum, neodymium, yttrium, beryllium, and iron with the formula (Ce,La,Nd,Y)FeBeSiO. It is called gadolinite-(Ce) or gadolinite-(Y), depending on the prominent composing element (Y if yttrium predominates, and Ce if cerium). It may contain 35.48% yttria sub-group rare earths, 2.17% ceria earths, as much as to 11.6% BeO, and traces of thorium. It is found in Sweden, Norway, and the US (Texas and Colorado).