April 25, 2007, Ottawa, Canada — Superman's nemesis, kryptonite, is no longer the stuff of fiction. A new mineral matching its unique chemistry – as described in the film Superman Returns – has been identified by Canadian and British scientists.
Kryptonite's devastating power is the bane of Superman stories, where exposure to its large green crystals causes the superhero to weaken. Unlike its famous fictional counterpart however, the new mineral is white, powdery and not radioactive. And, rather than originating from outer space, the real Kryptonite was found in Serbia by mining firm Rio Tinto. Unable to identify the unusual mineral's composition, Rio Tinto enlisted the help of mineralogist Dr. Chris Stanley of London's Natural History Museum.
Before a mineral can be classifed as new and distinct, it must first go through rigorous analysis so that its chemical and optical properties, including its crystal structure, can be determined. Typically a mineral sample contains crystals large enough so that techniques, such as single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), can be used to determine crystal structure and composition. In the case of this new material, the sample's crystals were too small. Consequently, Dr. Stanley called upon the sophisticated analytical facilities of Canada's National Research Council and on the expertise of NRC researchers Drs. Pamela Whitfield and Yvon Le Page to analyze and validate the mineral's crystal structure.
"Knowing the crystal structure of a material enables scientists to calculate its other physical properties – such as its elasticity or thermochemical properties," explains NRC's Dr. Le Page, an expert in the field of crystallography, adding that "being able to analyze and validate all the properties of a mineral, both chemical and physical, brings us closer to confirming that it is indeed unique." "However, finding out that the chemical composition of a material submitted for review is an exact match to an invented formula for the fictitious kryptonite, this was the coincidence of a lifetime," he adds.
The U.K.'s Dr. Stanley, who has worked to identify many new minerals, was the one to reveal the true identity of the mysterious new material. "Towards the end of my research, I searched the web using the mineral's chemical formula – sodium lithium boron silicate hydroxide – and was amazed to discover that same scientific name written on a case of rock containing kryptonite stolen by Lex Luther's character from a Metropolis museum in the film Superman Returns. The new mineral does not contain fluorine and is white rather than green, but in all other respects the chemistry matches that of the rock containing kryptonite."
Approximately 30 – 40 new minerals are discovered each year. Each must be registered with the International Mineralogical Association, the Commission on new Minerals and Mineral Names. These agencies compare new submitted material against a vast database of all known minerals, to determine if the newly-discovered rock is genuinely unique.
In addition to the investigative work done by Britain's Natural History Museum and Canada's National Research Council, scientists from Natural Resources Canada, the Geological Survey of Canada and the Canadian Museum of Nature have collaborated to ensure that the new mineral is recognized by the international scientific community. The mineral will be formally named when it is described in the European Journal of Mineralogy later this year.
Recognized globally for research and innovation, Canada's National Research Council (NRC) is a leader in the development of an innovative, knowledge-based economy for Canadathrough science and technology.
The Natural History Museum is internationally renowned as a centre of scientific expertise and specialists supplying authoritative identifications and information on a worldwide range of animals, plants, minerals and fossils. The Museum holds extensive reference collections of well-characterized minerals, ores and rocks and has one of the best Earth Science reference libraries in the UK.
For photos of kryptonite:
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/images/photos/news/kryptonite/kryptonite.jpg
For photos of the NRC scientists involved in this project:
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/images/photos/news/kryptonite/nrc_pamela_whitfield.tif
http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/images/photos/news/kryptonite/nrc_yvon_Lepage.tif
For more information, please visit the NRC Web site at http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca, or contact:
Liz FauteuxMedia RelationsNational Research Council CanadaTel.: (613) 949-8153E-mail: media@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca
Chloe KemberySenior Press OfficerNatural History Museum, U.K.Direct line: 020 7942 5881E-mail: c.kembery@nhm.ac.uk
