Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral that is an important ore of rare earth elements such as lanthanum, cerium, and thorium. It commonly occurs as small isolated crystals and has a hardness of 5.0-5.5. Historically, monazite sand from Brazil and India was the primary source of thorium and lanthanides until the 1960s. Monazite deposits can be mined and the monazite extracted using gravity, magnetic, and electrostatic separation due to its high density.

1. Monazite 1
Monazite
Monazite
General
Category Phosphate minerals
Chemical formula (Ce,La)PO4
Strunz classification 08.AD.50
Identification
Color Reddish brown, brown, pale yellow, pink, green, gray
Crystal habit Commonly as prismatic or wedge-shaped crystals
Crystal system Monoclinic
Twinning Contact twins common
Cleavage Distinct on [100] poor on [010]
Fracture Conchoidal to uneven
Mohs scale hardness 5.0 to 5.5
Luster Resinous, vitreous to adamantine
Streak White
Diaphaneity Translucent to opaque
Specific gravity 4.6–5.7 (4.98–5.43 for Monazite-Ce)
Optical properties Biaxial (+)
Refractive index nα = 1.770–1.793
nβ = 1.778–1.800
nγ = 1.823–1.860
Pleochroism Weak
2V angle 10–26°
Other characteristics Radioactive if thorium-rich, dull brown cathodoluminescence, paramagnetic
References [1]
Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated
crystals. There are actually at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of
the mineral:
• monazite-Ce (Ce, La, Pr, Nd, Th, Y)PO4
• monazite-La (La, Ce, Nd, Pr)PO4

2. Monazite 2
• monazite-Nd (Nd, La, Ce, Pr)PO4
• monazite-Pr (Pr, Nd, Ce, La)PO4
The elements in parentheses are listed in the order in which they are in relative proportion within the mineral, so that
lanthanum is the most common rare earth in monazite-La, and so forth. Silica, SiO2, will be present in trace amounts,
as well as small amounts of uranium and thorium. Due to the alpha decay of thorium and uranium, monazite contains
a significant amount of helium, which can be extracted by heating.[2]
Monazite is an important ore for thorium, lanthanum, and cerium. It is often found in placer deposits. The deposits in
India are particularly rich in monazite. It has a hardness of 5.0 to 5.5 and is relatively dense, about 4.6 to 5.7 g/cm3.
Because of the presence of thorium within monazite, it can be radioactive. If samples are kept, they should be placed
away from minerals that can be damaged by radiation. Because of its radioactive nature, the monazite within rocks is
a useful tool for dating geological events, such as heating or deformation of the rock.
The name monazite comes from the Greek μοναζειν (to be solitary), in allusion to its isolated crystals. India,
Madagascar, and South Africa have large deposits of monazite sands.
Mining history
Monazite sand from Brazil was first noticed in sand carried in ship's
ballast by Carl Auer von Welsbach in the 1880s. Von Welsbach was
looking for a way to obtain thorium for his newly invented
incandescent mantles. Monazite sand was quickly adopted as the
source of thorium for the mantles and was the foundation of what
became the rare earth industry. Monazite sand was also briefly mined
in North Carolina, but, shortly thereafter, deposits in southern India
were found. Brazilian and Indian monazite dominated the industry
Postcard view of a monazite mine in Shelby,
North Carolina, showing cart tracks and a bridge before WWII, after which major mining activity transferred to South
Africa and Bolivia. There are also large deposits in Australia.
Monazite was the only significant source of commercial lanthanides until bastnäsite began to be processed in about
1965. With declining interest in thorium as a potential nuclear fuel in the 1960s and increased concern over the
disposal of the radioactive daughter products of thorium, bastnäsite came to displace monazite in the production of
lanthanides due to its much lower thorium content. Any future increase in interest in thorium for atomic energy will
bring monazite back into commercial use.
Mineralization and extraction
Because of their high density monazite minerals will concentrate in
alluvial sands when released by the weathering of pegmatites. These
so-called placer deposits are often beach or fossil beach sands and
contain other heavy minerals of commercial interest such as zircon and
ilmenite. Monazite can be isolated as a nearly pure concentrate by the
use of gravity, magnetic, and electrostatic separation.
Monazite sand deposits are inevitably of the monazite-(Ce)
composition. Typically, the lanthanides in such monazites contain
Monazite powder
about 45–48% cerium, about 24% lanthanum, about 17% neodymium,
about 5% praseodymium, and minor quantities of samarium,

3. Monazite 3
gadolinium, and yttrium. Europium concentrations tend to be low, about 0.05%. South African "rock" monazite,
from Steenkampskraal, was processed in the 1950s and early 1960s by the Lindsay Chemical Division of American
Potash and Chemical Corporation, at the time the largest producer of lanthanides in the world. Steenkampskraal
monazite provided a supply of the complete set of lanthanides. Very low concentrations of the heaviest lanthanides
in monazite justified the term "rare" earth for these elements, with prices to match. Thorium content of monazite is
variable and sometimes can be up to 20–30%. Monazite from certain carbonatites or from Bolivian tin veins is
essentially thorium-free. However, commercial monazite sands typically contain between 6 and 12% thorium oxide.
Acid opening
The original process for "cracking" monazite so as to extract the thorium and lanthanide content, was to heat it with
concentrated sulfuric acid to temperatures between 120 and 150 °C for several hours. Variations in the ratio of acid
to ore, the extent of heating, and the extent to which water was added afterwards led to several different processes to
separate thorium from the lanthanides. One of the processes caused the thorium to precipitate out as a phosphate or
pyrophosphate in crude form, leaving a solution of lanthanide sulfates from which the lanthanides could be easily
precipitated as a double sodium sulfate. The acid methods led to the generation of considerable acid waste, and loss
of the phosphate content of the ore.

4. Monazite 4
Alkaline opening
A more recent process uses hot sodium hydroxide solution (73%) at about 140 °C. This process allows the valuable
phosphate content of the ore to be recovered as crystalline trisodium phosphate. The lanthanide/thorium hydroxide
mixture can be treated with hydrochloric acid to provide a solution of lanthanide chlorides, and an insoluble sludge
of the less-basic thorium hydroxide.
References
[1] Monazite (http:/ / rruff. geo. arizona. edu/ doclib/ hom/ monazitece. pdf). Handbook of Mineralogy. (PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-10-14.
[2] "Helium From Sand", March 1931, Popular Mechanics (http:/ / books. google. com/ books?id=S-QDAAAAMBAJ& pg=PA460&
dq=Popular+ Mechanics+ 1931+ "all-metal"#v=onepage& q=Popular Mechanics 1931 "all-metal"& f=true) article bottom of page 460
Further reading
• R.J. Callow, The Industrial Chemistry of the Lanthanons, Yttrium, Thorium and Uranium, Pergamon Press 1967.
LCCN 67-unknown operator: u'.'
• C.K. Gupta, N. Krishnamurthy, Extactive Metallurgy of Rare Earths, CRC Press, 2005, ISBN 0-415-33340-7
• Price List, Lindsay Chemical Division, American Potash and Chemical Corporation, 1960
• R.C. Vickery, Chemistry of the Lanthanons, Butterworths and Academic Press, 1953
• J.C. Bailar et al., Comprehensive Inorganic Chemistry, Pergamon Press, 1973

5. Monazite 5
External links
• Monazite (http://mineral.galleries.com/minerals/phosphat/monazite/monazite.htm)
• An Unusual State Of Matter (http://www.roaldhoffmann.com/pn/modules/Downloads/docs/
An_Unusual_State_of_Matter.pdf) Poem about monazite by Roald Hoffman
• "British Monazite Mine, Shelby, N.C." in Durwood Barbour Collection of North Carolina Postcards (P077),
North Carolina Collection Photographic Archives, Wilson Library, UNC-Chapel Hill (http://dc.lib.unc.edu/
cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/nc_post&CISOPTR=3240&CISOBOX=1&REC=1)
• radiation (in) paradise - the secret of the sand (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdHHUGwFoJE) on
YouTube; the third in a series of videos about a Monazite beach in Brazil.
• Monazite, thorium, and mesothorium (http://archive.org/details/monazitethoriumm00kithiala) (1915)

6. Article Sources and Contributors 6
Article Sources and Contributors
Monazite Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=497077114 Contributors: AHMartin, Afalbrig, Almufasa, Beemad, Blaylockjam10, Brianski, Chris 73, Chris.urs-o, Corella,
DanielCD, Dunnob, Dwmyers, Gothmog.es, Hakan Kayı, Headbomb, Hermann Luyken, Indian1985, Jackehammond, Jaraalbe, Keenan Pepper, Lamro, LarryMorseDCOhio, Limulus, LorenzoB,
Materialscientist, Mejor Los Indios, Mercurywoodrose, Nicke Lilltroll, OlEnglish, Reach Out to the Truth, Rjwilmsi, Sbisolo, Snoyes, Social tamarisk, Steve Hart, Stone, VPliousnine, Versus22,
Vsmith, Vuo, 25 anonymous edits
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:Monazit - Madagaskar.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Monazit_-_Madagaskar.jpg License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors: Ra'ike
(see also: de:Benutzer:Ra'ike)
Image:monazitemineshelbync.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Monazitemineshelbync.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Beemad, Markscheider
Image:MonaziteUSGOV.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:MonaziteUSGOV.jpg License: Public Domain Contributors: Saperaud
Image:Monazit opening acid.gif Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Monazit_opening_acid.gif License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0 Contributors:
Hermann Luyken
Image:Monazit opening alkaline.gif Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Monazit_opening_alkaline.gif License: Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 3.0
Contributors: Hermann Luyken
License
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