CCTV News: Reporters learned from the China Geological Survey of the Ministry of Natural Resources on April 22 that the new lunar mineral discovered and declared by our country, Cerium Magnesia Chang'e, was officially approved. This is the eleventh new lunar mineral discovered by humans.
Cerium magnesia Chang'e stone newly discovered in my country is colorless and transparent, has glass luster, is brittle, and shows obvious fluorescence effect; the particle size is about 3 to 25 microns, generally less than 10 microns, which is equivalent to about 1/25 of the diameter of a human hair. As a new rare earth-containing phosphate mineral, "cerium and magnesium" represent minerals rich in rare earth elements cerium and magnesium respectively, while "Chang'e stone" reflects the cultural heritage of China's lunar exploration project.
Che Xiaochao, associate researcher at the Planetary Science Research Center of the Institute of Geology, Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, said that the reason why this mineral is new is that when it was formed, two conditions were different. The physical conditions were temperature and pressure, and the chemical conditions were element content. If a new mineral is discovered extraterrestrial, it means that there was a condition outside the earth that has not appeared on the earth; if this new mineral discovered extraterrestrial is later found on the earth, it means that such conditions also existed on the earth, and some larger geological activities and celestial activities can be deduced for comparison.
According to reports, cerium-magnesium Chang'eite was discovered in the first lunar meteorite that fell in my country. It is a single spherical meteorite, weighing 44 grams, and its surface is covered with a dark molten crust. Experts told reporters that new minerals discovered from lunar meteorites can not only broaden our understanding of the world, but also provide new formulas for the field of artificial synthetic materials.
Qu Kai, a member of the New Mineral Nomenclature and Classification Professional Committee of the Chinese Society of Petrology and Geochemistry, said that cerium magnesium chang'e has a fluorescent luminescence effect and has very good potential applications in LED luminescent fluorescent materials. Its rare earth ratio, magnesia and iron content, including the characteristic changes in crystal structure, can provide important references for artificial synthesis. Nature sometimes gives us some unexpected formulas.
