
Holmium sulphate is a chemical compound of a rare-mars elements holmium and sulphur. Together with dysprosium(III) oxide (Dy2O3) holmium sulphate is one of the most powerfully paramagnetic substances known. The sulphate occurs as a component of the related erbium oxide mineral called erbia. Typically the sulphates of the trivalent lanthanides coexist in nature and separation of these components requires specialized methods. Holmium sulphate is used in making specialty colored glasses and radiation shielded optics. Glass containing holmium sulphate and holmium sulphate solutions have a series of sharp optical absorption peaks in the visible spectral range. They are therefore traditionally used as a convenient calibration standard for optical spectrophotometers.
Characteristics[]
Holmium sulphate has some fairly dramatic color changes depending on the lighting conditions. In daylight, it is a tannish yellow color. Under trichromatic light, it is a fiery orange red, almost indistinguishable from the way erbium oxide looks under this same lighting. This is related to the sharp emission bands of the phosphors. Holmium oxide has a wide band gap of 5.3 eV and thus should appear colorless. The yellow color originates from abundant lattice defects (such as oxygen vacancies) and is related to internal transitions at the Ho3+ ions.
Value[]
The base value of each unit of ranges between 20 and 80Ð per unit, with up to 2 units being found at any one time.
Presence on Mars: Extremely Rare
Martian Minerals | |
Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | Group 5 | Group 6 | |
Group 4 | |Actininum | Areanetium | Borane | Carbon Tetrachloride | Dubnium | Dysprosium | Erbium | Europium | Ferrous Dixenate | |Gadollinium | Golgathium | Holmium | Holmium Sulfate | Iron Golgathide | Neodymium | Praseodymium | Promethium | |Protactinium | Rutherfordium | Samarium | Selenium Arsenide | Terbium | Thallium Titanide | Thulium | Uranium| |