New Mineral Species and Advanced Spectroscopy Methods Announced

The open‑access European Journal of Mineralogy recently published three papers that add significant findings to the field of mineralogy.

Story 1 – IMA Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification (CNMNC) – Newsletter 93 This paper outlines work by Ferdinando Bosi, Frédéric Hatert, Marco Pasero, and Stuart J. Mills on establishing a comprehensive framework for identifying and categorizing minerals. It aligns with earlier initiatives such as the 1970 publication “Nomenclature and Classification of Inorganic Solids” and remains in its early stages; specific outcomes are yet to be determined. ¹

**Story 2 – New methods for Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy investigation and quantification of OH absorption in anisotropic nominally anhydrous minerals: the example of pyroxene** Authors Nils B. Gies, Jörg Hermann, Georgia Cametti, and Sonja Aulbach present novel hardware and software solutions that enable acquisition of large numbers of angle‑resolved polarised spectra between 0° and 180°. The method allows identification of spectral endmembers in the Si–O overtone region, improving H₂O quantification. ¹

Story 3 – Synthesis of nano‑porous ellipsoid hematite and the crystal growth mechanism Meirong Zong et al. report hydrothermal synthesis of nanoporous ellipsoidal hematite. Iron oxyhydroxides agglomerate at 30 min, form needle‑shaped FeOOH at 45 min, then dehydrate into ellipsoidal hematite. After 120 min lattice rearrangement produces ~27 nm nanoporous crystals, offering insight into hematite crystal growth mechanisms. ¹