kalinite

{{distinguish|kaolinite}}

{{Infobox mineral

| name = Kalinite

| category = Sulfate minerals

| boxwidth =

| boxbgcolor =

| image = Kalinite 1.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Kalinite from the Virgin Valley District, Nevada, USA. Specimen size 5.4 cm

| formula = KAl(SO₄)₂·11H₂O

| IMAsymbol = Kli{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}

| molweight = 456.37 g/mol

| strunz = 7.CC.15

| dana = 29.5.4.2

| system = Monoclinic

| class = Prismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol)

| symmetry = C2/c

| unit cell = a = 19.92(16), b = 9.27(3)
c = 8.304(13) Å
β = 98.79(19)°; Z = 4

| color = White to pale blue

| habit = Fibrous

| lattice =

| twinning =

| cleavage =

| fracture = Conchoidal

| tenacity =

| mohs = 2 to 2.5

| luster = Vitreous

| refractive = n_α = 1.429 to 1.430, n_β = 1.452, n_γ = 1.456 to 1.458

| opticalprop = Biaxial (−)

| 2V = 52° (measured), 82° (calculated)

| birefringence = None

| pleochroism =

| streak = White

| gravity = 1.75 (observed) 2.0 (calculated)

| density =

| melt =

| fusibility =

| diagnostic =

| solubility = Soluble in water

| diaphaneity = Transparent

| other = Not fluorescent, barely detectable radioactivity| references = Gaines et al (1997) Dana’s New Mineralogy, Wiley[http://www.webmineral.com/data/Kalinite.shtml Kalinite on Webmin][http://www.mindat.org/min-2137.html Kalinite on Mindat]}}

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.{{Cite web|url=http://rruff.info/ima|title=IMA Mineral List with Database of Mineral Properties}} Many older samples, however, have been found to be potassium alum.[http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/kalinite.pdf Kalinite data in the Handbook of Mineralogy]