What is "sepiolite"

Meerschaum \Meer"schaum\ (m[=e]r"sh[add]m; 277), n. [G., lit., sea foam; meer sea + schaum foam; but it perh. is a corruption of the Tartaric name myrsen. Cf. Mere a lake, and Scum.]

1. (Min.) A fine white claylike mineral, soft, and light enough when in dry masses to float in water. It is a hydrous silicate of magnesia, and is obtained chiefly in Asia Minor. It is manufacturd into tobacco pipes, cigar holders, etc. Also called sepiolite.

2. A tobacco pipe made of this mineral; a meerschaum pipe.

n. (context mineralogy English) A hydrated magnesium silicate, claylike mineral used for carving into decorative articles and smoking pipes

n. a white clayey mineral [syn: meerschaum]

Sepiolite, also known as meerschaum ( or , German for foam of the sea) is a soft white clay mineral, often used to make tobacco pipes (known as meerschaum pipes). A complex magnesium silicate, a typical chemical formula for which is MgSiO(OH)·6HO, it can be present in fibrous, fine-particulate, and solid forms.

Originally named meerschaum by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1788, it was named sepiolite by Ernst Friedrich Glocker in 1847 for an occurrence in Bettolino, Baldissero Canavese, Torino Province, Piedmont, Italy. The name comes from Greek sepion (σήπιον), meaning " cuttlebone" (the porous internal shell of the cuttlefish), + lithos (λίθος), meaning stone, after a perceived resemblance of this mineral to cuttlebone. Because of its low specific gravity and its high porosity it may float upon water, hence its German name. It is sometimes found floating on the Black Sea and rather suggestive of sea-foam, hence the German origin of the name as well as the French name for the same substance, écume de mer.

In addition to its use in pipes, sepiolite is used in oil drilling and for cat litter. In construction, sepiolite can be used in lime mortars as water reservoir.ANDREJKOVIČOVÁ et al., (2011) Fine sepiolite addition to air lime-metakaolin mortars. Clay Minerals, 46 (4): 624-635. DOI: 10.1180/claymin.2011.046.4.621