Tistarite
A titanium oxide with titanium in its rare three-charge state, from the earliest solids in Allende.
Key facts
- Formula
- Ti2O3
- Family
- Oxides
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- First described
- the Allende CV3 chondrite, 2009
Tistarite was described in 2009 from a tiny grain in the Allende meteorite. Its name is a short form of titanium and the stars, reflecting its formation in the young Solar System.
What it is
Tistarite is titanium oxide in which titanium carries a charge of three. It can form only in environments almost free of oxygen, such as the hot gas of the solar nebula.
Where it is found
It was found as a micrometre-sized grain inside an olivine-bearing refractory inclusion in Allende, together with other titanium-rich phases.
How it is recognised
It is identified only by electron microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction.
Did you know?
Tistarite is one of the most oxygen-poor minerals known.
It was found using a new generation of electron microscopes able to analyse grains a few micrometres across.