Melilite


Melilite would be considered by most people to be a mineral. Melilite has an apparent formula of (CaNa)<sub>2</sub>(AlMgFe<sup>2+</sup>)[(AlSi)SiO<sub>7</sub>]. Discovered in 1793 near Rome, it has a yellowish, greenish brown colour. The name derives from the Greek words for honey and stone. Mineralogists do not accept melilite as a valid mineral in that it is not a unique chemical compound but is rather a solid solution of various silicates.