Sylvít

Sylvít, also spelled sylvite, is the mineral form of potassium chloride, with the chemical formula KCl. It is a halide mineral that occurs primarily in evaporite deposits as crystallized salts formed by the evaporation of saline water, and it is an important natural source of potassium for industry.

The name sylvít is traditionally linked to the Silesian region in Central Europe, where the mineral was first described in modern times. The term is widely used in scientific literature and mining sectors to distinguish the mineral from other chlorides.

In terms of crystallography, sylvít crystallizes in the isometric (cubic) system and commonly occurs as euhedral, cubic crystals or as granular masses. It has a vitreous luster, is typically colorless to white, but can appear pink to red from impurities. The Mohs hardness is about 2 to 3, and it has a specific gravity near 3.16. It is highly soluble in water.

Sylvít occurs in salt beds and evaporite sequences formed by long-vanished seas. It is usually found with halite (sodium chloride) and other evaporite minerals such as carnallite and polyhalite. Major modern deposits are mined in several countries, including Canada, Russia, Belarus, Germany, and the United States.

Economically, sylvít is the principal source of potash fertilizer, supplying potassium for agricultural crops. It is extracted by conventional underground mining or by solution mining, then processed to produce potash products such as potassium chloride used directly as fertilizer or as a feedstock for downstream potassium compounds.

Handling sylvít requires standard industrial hygiene because it is a soluble salt that can irritate skin and eyes and form saline aerosols if dust is generated. As a chemical commodity, it is regulated as a mineral commodity and subject to mining and environmental controls.

See also: potassium chloride, evaporite, halite, carnallite, polyhalite.