ANALCIME

also called analcite common feldspathoid mineral, a hydrated sodium aluminosilicate (NaAlSi2O6H2O) that occurs in seams and cavities in basalt, diabase, granite, or gneiss and in extensive beds thought to have formed by precipitation from alkaline lakes. Analcime is found in Trentino, Italy; New Zealand; and Wyoming and Utah in the United States. Although a feldspathoid, analcime is closely related to the zeolite minerals with which it is sometimes classed. Its name is derived from the Greek analkis, weak, which refers to the weak electrical charge generated by heating or rubbing it. For detailed physical properties, see feldspathoid (table).