The Phosphates Class Including the Phosphates, the Uranyl Phosphates, the Arsenates, the Antimonates and the Vanadates.

The Phosphate Class is made up of minerals with a basic chemical unit of tetrahedral (AO4) groups with a negative three (-3) charge. The A can be either Phosphorus, Arsenic, Vanadium or Antimony. The basic chemical unit can be combined with metal ions on a one to one ratio or usually in more complex combinations with other ions such as hydroxide groups (OH), uranyl groups (UO2), a halogen or even water molecules.

The typical phosphate is vitreous to dull, often strongly colored, above average in density, average in hardness (4-7), and low in index of refraction unless ions such as lead are present. All other properties are variable. Many interesting and beautiful mineral specimens come from this class and although a large number of minerals are known to belong to this class, only some of the members of the Apatite Group are considered common.

Subclass: Phosphates

• Amblygonite (Lithium Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
• Andrewsite (Copper Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Anapaite (Hydrated Calcium Iron Phosphate)
• The Apatite Group:
  • Apatite (Calcium Phosphate Chloride Hydroxide Fluoride)
  which includes:
  • Chlorapatite (Calcium Phosphate Chloride)
  • Fluorapatite (Calcium Phosphate Fluoride)
  • Hydroxylapatite (Calcium Phosphate Hydroxide)
  • Hedyphane (Calcium Lead Arsenate Chloride)
  • Mimetite (Lead Arsenate Chloride)
  • Pyromorphite (Lead Phosphate Chloride)
  • Vanadinite (Lead Vanadate Chloride)
• Arrojadite (Sodium Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Augelite (Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Barbosalite (Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Beraunite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Berlinite (Aluminum Phosphate)
• Beryllonite (Sodium Beryllium Phosphate)
• The Beudantite Group
• Beusite (Manganese Iron Calcium Magnesium Phosphate)
• Bolivarite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Brazilianite (Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Brushite (Hydrated Calcium Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Cacoxenite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Oxide Hydroxide)
• Cassidyite (Hydrated Calcium Nickel Magnesium Phosphate)
• Chalcosiderite (Hydrated Copper Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Childrenite (Hydrated Iron Manganese Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Churchite-(Y) (Hydrated Yttrium Erbium Phosphate)
• Collinsite (Hydrated Calcium Magnesium Iron Phosphate)
• Cornetite (Copper Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Crandallite (Hydrated Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Cyrilovite (Hydrated Sodium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Diadochite (Hydrated Iron Sulfate Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Dickinsonite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Calcium Magnesium Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Dufrenite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Embreyite (Hydrated Lead Chromate Phosphate)
• Englishite (Hydrated Potassium Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Eosphorite (Hydrated Manganese Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Evansite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Fairfieldite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Iron Phosphate)
• Faheyite (Hydrated Manganese Magnesium Sodium Beryllium Iron Phosphate)
• Faustite (Hydrated Zinc Copper Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Fillowite (Hydrated Sodium Manganese Iron Calcium Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Florencite (Cerium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Frondelite (Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Gorceixite (Hydrated Barium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Gordonite (Hydrated Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Gormanite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Goyazite (Strontium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Graftonite (Iron Manganese Calcium Phosphate)
• Griphite (Sodium Aluminum Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Hagendorfite (Sodium Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Hentschelite (Copper Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Herderite (Calcium Beryllium Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
• Heterosite (Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Hopeite (Hydrated Zinc Phosphate)
• Holtedahlite (Magnesium Phosphate Carbonate Hydroxide Oxide)
• Hureaulite (Hydrated Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Hurlbutite (Calcium Beryllium Phosphate)
• Jahnsite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Magnesium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Kidwellite (Hydrated Sodium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Kulanite (Barium Iron Manganese Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Landesite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Laubmannite (Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Laueite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Lazulite (Magnesium Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Leucophosphite (Hydrated Potassium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Libethenite (Copper Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Lipscombite (Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Lithiophilite (Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate)
• ludlamite (Hydrated Magnesium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Messelite (Hydrated Calcium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Meta-variscite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate)
  
• Meta-vauxite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Mitridatite (Hydrated Calcium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Monazite (rare earth Phosphate)
• Monetite (Calcium Hydro-Phosphate)
• Montbrasite (Lithium Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide Fluoride)
• Montgomeryite (Hydrated Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Moraesite (Hydrated Beryllium Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Natramblygonite (Sodium Lithium Aluminum Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
• Natrophilite (Sodium Magnesium Phosphate)
• Newberyite (Hydrated Magnesium Hydro-Phosphate)
• Nissonite (Hydrated Copper Magnesium Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Overite (Hydrated Calcium Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Palermoite (Lithium Sodium Strontium Calcium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Paraschozite (Hydrated Calcium Zinc Phosphate)
• Paravauxite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Phosphoferrite (Hydrated Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Phosphophyllite (Hydrated Zinc Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Phosphosiderite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate)
• Plumbogummite (Lead Aluminum Hydro-Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Pseudomalachite (Copper Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Pucherite (Bismuth Vanadate)
• Purpurite (Manganese Phosphate)
• Reddingite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate)
• Rhabdophane (Hydrated Cerium Lanthanum Neodymium Yttrium Phosphate)
• Rockbridgeite (Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Roscherite (Hydrated Calcium Manganese Iron Beryllium Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Rosemaryite (Sodium Calcium Manganese Iron Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate)
• Salmonsite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate)
• Scholzite (Hydrated Calcium Zinc Phosphate)
• Scorzalite (Iron Magnesium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Sicklerite (Lithium Manganese Iron Phosphate)
• Sincosite (Hydrated Calcium Vanadate Phosphate)
• Spencerite (Hydrated Zinc Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Stercorite (Hydrated Sodium Ammonium Hydro-Phosphate)
• Stewartite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Strengite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate)
• Strunzite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Struvite (Hydrated Ammonium Magnesium Phosphate)
• Switzerite (Hydrated Manganese Iron Phosphate)
• Tarbuttite (Zinc Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Tavorite (Lithium Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Triphylite (Lithium Iron Manganese Phosphate)
• Triplite (Manganese Iron Magnesium Calcium Phosphate Fluoride Hydroxide)
• Triploidite (Manganese Iron Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Trolleite (Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Tsumebite (Lead Copper Phosphate Sulfate Hydroxide)
• Turquoise (Hydrated Copper Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Variscite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate)
• Vauxite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Veszelyite (Hydrated Copper Zinc Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Vivianite (Hydrated Iron Phosphate)
• Wagnerite (Magnesium Iron Manganese Calcium Phosphate Fluoride)
• Wardite (Hydrated Sodium Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Wavellite (Hydrated Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide Fluoride)
• Whiteite (Hydrated Calcium Magnesium Iron Manganese Aluminum Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Whitlockite (Calcium Magnesium Phosphate)
• Wolfeite (Iron Manganese Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Xenotime (Yttrium Phosphate)

The Uranyl Phosphates

• Autunite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate)
• Coconinoite (Hydrated Iron Aluminum Uranyl Phosphate Sulfate Hydroxide)
• Dumontite (Hydrated Lead Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Meta-ankoleite (Hydrated Potassium Uranyl Phosphate)
• Meta-autunite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate)
• Meta-torbernite (Hydrated Copper Uranyl Phosphate)
• Meta-uranocircite (Hydrated Barium Uranyl Phosphate)
• Parsonite (Hydrated Lead Uranyl Phosphate)
• Phosphuranylite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Phuralumite (Hydrated Aluminum Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Phurcalite (Hydrated Calcium Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Renardite (Hydrated Lead Uranyl Phosphate Hydroxide)
• Sabugalite (Hydrated Aluminum Uranyl Hydro-Phosphate)
• Saleeite (Hydrated Magnesium Uranyl Phosphate)
• Torbernite (Hydrated Copper Uranyl Phosphate)
• Uramphite (Hydrated Ammonium Uranyl Phosphate)
• Uranocircite (Hydrated Barium Uranyl Phosphate)

See also these subclasses: Arsenates, Vanadates and the Antimonates