Kalinite is a mineral composed of hydrated potassium aluminium sulfate (a type of alum). It is a fibrous monoclinic alum, distinct from isometric potassium alum,American Mineralogist (1923) 8:15 named in 1868. Its name comes from kalium (derived from Arabic: القَلْيَه al-qalyah "plant ashes", which is the Latin name for potassium, hence its chemical symbol, "K".
A proposal to remove recognition of kalinite as a mineral species was submitted to the International Mineralogical Association; however, kalinite is still on the list of approved minerals. Many older samples, however, have been found to be potassium alum.Kalinite data in the Handbook of Mineralogy
Environment Kalinite is a rare secondary mineral observed in the oxidized zone of mineral deposits, as efflorescence on alum slates, in caves, and as a volcanic sublimate.American Mineralogist (1927) 12:14 It is associated with jarosite, KFe3+3(SO4)2(OH)6, and cuprian melanterite (pisanite), (Fe2+,Cu2+)SO4·7H2O, at Quetena, Chile.American Mineralogist (1938) 23:721
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