In this #MinCup26 round, I'm on team #Gadolinite! Even a classic rare-earth mineral family still has new crystal chemistry to reveal, as reported by Chukanov in @actacrystb.iucr.org with a gadolinite-(Y) analogue dominated by both hydroxyl and iron. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 18h ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 14 Average hardness and dark colours are camouflage for crystalline oddness lurking within blue asbestos #Riebeckite vs rare earth element #Gadolinite-(Y). VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Voting #halite for #Mincup26! Its crystal structure is the archetype for alkali halides, and Kucharczyk showed in their 1987 @actacrystb.iucr.org how optical susceptibilities track ionic radii. In a halite-type crystal, even light can reveal the size of an ion. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/198...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 13 It's a match between a mineral you want to be cautious breathing near and one you eat every day as arsenic-rich #arsenopyrite is against table salt #halite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Voting #halite for #Mincup26! Its crystal structure is the archetype for alkali halides, and Kucharczyk showed in their 1987 @actacrystb.iucr.org how optical susceptibilities track ionic radii. In a halite-type crystal, even light can reveal the size of an ion. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/198...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 13 It's a match between a mineral you want to be cautious breathing near and one you eat every day as arsenic-rich #arsenopyrite is against table salt #halite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

I'm voting #cylindrite for #MinCup26! As reported by Evain in @actacrystb.iucr.org, levyclaudite-(Sb), a member of the cylindrite-type minerals, is incommensurately modulated and joins sheets with mismatched dimensions, producing its extraordinary curved form! journals.iucr.org/b/issues/200...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 3d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 12 Grey hides complexity for these metal-rich minerals as trickster #Pyrrhotite battles geometrically-unusual #Cylindrite in this monochromatic matchup. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

It's #calcite for me in this round of #MinCup2026! Ordinarily a brittle mineral, it is transformed into a strong, lightweight material as nanocrystals arranged into an intricate mesoscale architecture in sea urchin spines. More in Colfen's @actacrystb.iucr.org: journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Mesocrystalline structure and mechanical properties of biogenic calcite from sea urchin spine

Diffuse scattering and inelastic scattering were probed by X-rays and compared for inorganically formed natural calcite and biogenic calcite from the sea urchin spine. The differences in the mechanica...

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 4d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 11 It's a pair of minerals that pull off near-magical tricks with their properties as ubiquitous #Calcite is up against rarity #Julienite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

It's #calcite for me in this round of #MinCup2026! Ordinarily a brittle mineral, it is transformed into a strong, lightweight material as nanocrystals arranged into an intricate mesoscale architecture in sea urchin spines. More in Colfen's @actacrystb.iucr.org: journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Mesocrystalline structure and mechanical properties of biogenic calcite from sea urchin spine

Diffuse scattering and inelastic scattering were probed by X-rays and compared for inorganically formed natural calcite and biogenic calcite from the sea urchin spine. The differences in the mechanica...

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 4d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 11 It's a pair of minerals that pull off near-magical tricks with their properties as ubiquitous #Calcite is up against rarity #Julienite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Dr. Doug Fansher, PhD 2022, is now a faculty member in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Wilfrid Laurier University!

Vote #pyromorphite for #MinCup2026! As reported by Xu et al in @actacrystb.iucr.org, the search for LK-99 revealed an unexpected orthorhombic hydroxylpyromorphite, stabilized by protons and water rather than adopting the familiar hexagonal apatite structure. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Polymorphism of Pb5(PO4)3OHδ within the LK-99 mixture

A new orthorhombic crystal Pb5(PO4)3OHδ of space-group symmetry Pnma significantly differs differing from the hexagonal apatite phases of Pb10(PO4)6O and Pb5(PO4)3OH.

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 5d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 10: It’s a pair of soft minerals that form near the surface as heavyweight #pyromorphite is up against evaporate #gypsum. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

As reported by Krivovicheva in @actacrystb.iucr.org, the chromium hydroxy-carbonate cluster in #putnisite has no close chemical or topological counterpart in synthetic chemistry. Nature did that. Vote Putnisite for #MinCup! journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Polyoxometalate clusters in minerals: review and complexity analysis

This article reviews current progress in the investigations of polyoxometalate clusters in minerals.

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 6d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 9: It’s a pair of tiny minerals with unusual chemistry as hafnium-containing #Hafnon battles with strontium/chromium-containing #Putnisite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

As reported by Krivovicheva in @actacrystb.iucr.org, the chromium hydroxy-carbonate cluster in #putnisite has no close chemical or topological counterpart in synthetic chemistry. Nature did that. Vote Putnisite for #MinCup! journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Polyoxometalate clusters in minerals: review and complexity analysis

This article reviews current progress in the investigations of polyoxometalate clusters in minerals.

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 6d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 9: It’s a pair of tiny minerals with unusual chemistry as hafnium-containing #Hafnon battles with strontium/chromium-containing #Putnisite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

I'm voting #Stichtite in #MinCup26! This member of the layered double hydroxide family is part of a crystal-chemical story with consequences for catalysis, medicine and ion exchange. Learn more in Richardson's @actacrystb.iucr.org work: journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 7d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 8: It’s a pair of soft and lovely minerals as Stichtite and Talc compete for your votes. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

I'm voting #Stichtite in #MinCup26! This member of the layered double hydroxide family is part of a crystal-chemical story with consequences for catalysis, medicine and ion exchange. Learn more in Richardson's @actacrystb.iucr.org work: journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 7d ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 8: It’s a pair of soft and lovely minerals as Stichtite and Talc compete for your votes. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

I'm voting for #monazite-(Ce) in this round of #MinCup26! In hydrothermal experiments reported in @actacrystb.iucr.org, it occurs intergrown with, and included within, newly formed thorium-bearing silicates, helping to reveal how Th moves through mineral systems. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Multidisciplinary study of thorium mobility: formation of turkestanite and steacyite analogues, and structural insights using an XRD-directed microcrystal preparation technique

A novel focused ion beam and scanning electron microscope-based technique has been developed for mounting microcrystals on carbon fibre, making them immediately compatible with single-crystal X-ray di...

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · last wk.

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 7 It's a color-changing match of informative minerals! Time-tracker #Monazite-(Ce)'s yellow in sunlight darkens to orange in incandescent light while index mineral #Andalusite is pleochroic VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

I'm voting for #monazite-(Ce) in this round of #MinCup26! In hydrothermal experiments reported in @actacrystb.iucr.org, it occurs intergrown with, and included within, newly formed thorium-bearing silicates, helping to reveal how Th moves through mineral systems. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/202...

Multidisciplinary study of thorium mobility: formation of turkestanite and steacyite analogues, and structural insights using an XRD-directed microcrystal preparation technique

A novel focused ion beam and scanning electron microscope-based technique has been developed for mounting microcrystals on carbon fibre, making them immediately compatible with single-crystal X-ray di...

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · last wk.

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 7 It's a color-changing match of informative minerals! Time-tracker #Monazite-(Ce)'s yellow in sunlight darkens to orange in incandescent light while index mineral #Andalusite is pleochroic VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Kinda chic to back #quartz in #MinCup26. And if its beauty does not convince you, consider that β-quartz has negative thermal expansion: it contracts on heating. Antao reported the structural origin in @actacrystb.iucr.org: journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · last wk.

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 6 It's a classic vs a newbie as the most common named mineral in the crust #Quartz is up against an exceedingly-rare sea foam-green mineral discovered just a few years ago #Asagiite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Kinda chic to back #quartz in #MinCup26. And if its beauty does not convince you, consider that β-quartz has negative thermal expansion: it contracts on heating. Antao reported the structural origin in @actacrystb.iucr.org: journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · last wk.

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 6 It's a classic vs a newbie as the most common named mineral in the crust #Quartz is up against an exceedingly-rare sea foam-green mineral discovered just a few years ago #Asagiite. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Copper is my favorite element, so I'm all in for #Cuprite in this round of #MintCup26. Another reason for #Cuprite? Baur and Fischer's work in @actacrystb.iucr.org, comparing the interpenetrating network structure of cuprite to a complex LTN-type zeolite framework. journals.iucr.org/b/issues/200...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · last wk.

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 5 It's a fiery match of vibrant red #Cuprite and just as saturated orange #Orpiment battle for your votes! VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

I'm in for #Vesuvianite in this #MinCup26 round! And I learned more about it from Aksenov et al. in their @actacrystb.iucr.org work "Towards a revisitation of vesuvianite-group nomenclature: the crystal structure of Ti-rich vesuvianite from Alchuri, Shigar Valley". journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2w ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 4: Cogwheels of #Bournonite are up against colourful #Vesuvianite in a battle of unexpected chemical compositions. VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Anorthite for me in this round! And this is why: "Incommensurate density modulation in a Na-rich plagioclase feldspar: Z-contrast imaging and single crystal X-ray diffraction study" from Xu, Jin and Noll in @actacrystb.iucr.org in 2016! #MinCup26 journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2w ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 3 Both zinc ore #Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar #Anorthite will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes! VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Anorthite for me in this round! And this is why: "Incommensurate density modulation in a Na-rich plagioclase feldspar: Z-contrast imaging and single crystal X-ray diffraction study" from Xu, Jin and Noll in @actacrystb.iucr.org in 2016! #MinCup26 journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2w ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 3 Both zinc ore #Sphalerite and calcium plagioclase feldspar #Anorthite will split cleanly if you hit them with a hammer, but only one can claim a larger split of your votes! VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

For Match 2, my #MinCup26 vote will be informed by the work of Chakoumakos and colleagues on "Disparate atomic displacements in skutterudite-type LaFe3CoSb12, a model for thermoelectric behavior" published in @actacrystb.iucr.org in 1999! journals.iucr.org/b/issues/199...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2w ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 2: Flowery pink #Erythrite is against shiny silver #Skutterudite in this match of cobalt minerals. Will you pick the weathering product or the mineral it comes from? VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

For Match 2, my #MinCup26 vote will be informed by the work of Chakoumakos and colleagues on "Disparate atomic displacements in skutterudite-type LaFe3CoSb12, a model for thermoelectric behavior" published in @actacrystb.iucr.org in 1999! journals.iucr.org/b/issues/199...

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2w ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 2: Flowery pink #Erythrite is against shiny silver #Skutterudite in this match of cobalt minerals. Will you pick the weathering product or the mineral it comes from? VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Tough call in this round, but shout out to 'Understanding geology through crystal engineering' by Huskic and @TomislavFriscic who address the carbon mineral challenge in their Acta B work! journals.iucr.org/b/issues/201...

Understanding geology through crystal engineering: coordination complexes, coordination polymers and metal–organic frameworks as minerals

The discovery of naturally occurring metal–organic framework (MOF) minerals highlights the connection between crystal engineering and mineralogy. It is shown how classification of such organic mineral...

journals.iucr.org

Mineral Cup & Ore Cup@mineralcup.bsky.social · 2w ago

#MinCup26 Round 1 Match 1: It's carbonate-vs-carbonate with copper-rich #Azurite against zinc-rich #Smithsonite. Which has your vote? VOTE: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re... RESULTS: www.mineralcup.org/2026/vote-re...

Hotel booking deadline extended to July 20! Congress registration (including CTrain pass; Westin and Delta both <500 m from stations) also remains open. With more than 2,000 abstracts submitted, #IUCr2026 is shaping up to be an outstanding gathering for the global structural science community.

IUCr2026 @iucr2026.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🚨 Final reminder: #IUCr2026 hotel blocks close today. 🏨 Discounted Congress rates expire at the close of business and availability after today cannot be guaranteed. 🔗 Book now: event.fourwaves.com/... #IUCr2026 #IUCr #Crystallography

#IUCr2026 Dorm & hotel Booking Deadline Extended to July 14! And registration comes with a free transit (C-Train) pass. See you in Calgary, crystallographic cowboys...

IUCr2026 @iucr2026.bsky.social · 2mo ago

🚨 Final reminder: #IUCr2026 hotel blocks close today. 🏨 Discounted Congress rates expire at the close of business and availability after today cannot be guaranteed. 🔗 Book now: event.fourwaves.com/... #IUCr2026 #IUCr #Crystallography

🔬 Ever wondered how macromolecular crystals are grown for cutting-edge research? Join the Biomolecular Crystallization Workshop on August 10 and learn from experts across the field. Register: event.fourwaves.com/... #IUCr2026 #Crystallography #Calgary2026

Registration is open for the IUCr Electron Crystallography School 2026! 8–10 August immediately before #IUCr2026 and in the same venue. Topics include 3DED/MicroED, structure determination, dynamical refinement, 4D-STEM, and serial electron crystallography. sites.google.com/view/iucr-sa...

IUCr ECS 2026

A three-day school of lectures and practical sessions on electron crystallography methods

sites.google.com

Glass content is not a state function; its identity is path dependent

'ChemiSTEAM - Putting the A(rt) in STEM' is back for CSC (x2026) in Toronto! Submissions are now being accepted until May 18! Show your community the beauty behind your work: www.cheminst.ca/conference/x...

Student Competitions - The Chemical Institute of Canada

Français Student Competitions For questions regarding student competitions, please contact cic-coordinator@cheminst.ca Reg Friesen Student Oral Paper Competition Reg Friesen Student Oral Paper Competi...

cheminst.ca

'ChemiSTEAM - Putting the A(rt) in STEM' is back for CSC (x2026) in Toronto! Submissions are now being accepted until May 18! Show your community the beauty behind your work: www.cheminst.ca/conference/x...

Student Competitions - The Chemical Institute of Canada

Français Student Competitions For questions regarding student competitions, please contact cic-coordinator@cheminst.ca Reg Friesen Student Oral Paper Competition Reg Friesen Student Oral Paper Competi...

cheminst.ca