Question

Spodumene is an important mineral of ________.
A.sodium
B.lithium
C.potassium
D.rubidium

Answer 1

Hint: Spodumene was named after an occurrence in the type locality of Uto, Sodermanland, Sweden, in 1800. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada e Silva, a Brazilian naturalist, discovered it. Because of the opaque, ash-grey appearance of material refined for use in industry, the name is derived from the Greek spodumene, which means "burned to ashes."

Complete answer:
Spodumene is a pyroxene mineral that is a source of lithium and is composed of lithium aluminum inosilicate, \[LiAl{{(Si{{O}_{3}})}_{2}}\]. It can be found as colorless to yellowish, purplish, or lilac kunzite (see below), as well as yellowish-green or emerald-green hiddenite, prismatic crystals that can be quite large. Single crystals measuring \[14.3\]\[m\] (\[47ft\]) in length have been discovered in the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA.
The low-temperature form of -spodumene crystallizes in the monoclinic system, whereas the high-temperature form crystallizes in the tetragonal system. At temperatures above \[{{900}^{o}}C\] , -spodumene converts to -spodumene. Typically, crystals are heavily striated parallel to the principal axis. Triangular markings are frequently etched and pitted into crystal faces.
Spodumene is a valuable source of lithium, which is used in ceramics, mobile phones and automotive batteries, medicine, Pyroceram, and as a fluxing agent. After roasting, lithium is extracted from spodumene by fusing it in acid to convert it to the more reactive -spodumene.
Thus, the answer is option B: Lithium.

Note:
In 2018, global spodumene production was around 80,000 metric tonnes per year, primarily from the Greenbushes pegmatite in Western Australia, as well as some Chinese and Chilean sources. By 2020, Australia will have expanded its spodumene mining to become the world's leading lithium producer.