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Tobermorite is a calcium silicate hydrate mineral with chemical formula: Ca5Si6O16(OH)2·4H2O or Ca5Si6(O,OH)18·5H2O.
Two structural varieties are distinguished: tobermorite-11 Å and tobermorite-14 Å. Tobermorite occurs in hydrated cement paste and can be found in nature as an alteration mineral in metamorphism limestone and in skarn. It has been reported to occur in the Maqarin Area of north Jordan and in the Crestmore Quarry near Crestmore Heights, Riverside County, California.
Tobermorite was first described in 1880 for an occurrence in Scotland, on the Isle of Mull, around the locality of Tobermory.Scottish physician and amateur mineralogist Matthew Forster Heddle (1828–1897) first described tobermorite in: See pp. 119–121.
Use in Roman concrete
Aluminum-substituted tobermorite is understood to be a key ingredient responsible for the longevity of ancient undersea Roman concrete. The volcanic ash that Romans used for construction of sea walls contained phillipsite, and an interaction with sea water caused the crystalline structures in the concrete to expand and strengthen, making that material substantially more durable than modern concrete when exposed to sea water. Ancient Romans made world’s ‘most durable’ concrete. We might use it to stop rising seas, Washington Post, Ben Guarino, July 4, 2017. Retrieved July 5, 2017. Ancient lessons: Roman concrete durable, green, Jim Destefani, ed., Ceramic Tech Today, The American Ceramic Society, June 7, 2013
Cement chemistry
Tobermorite is often used in thermodynamical calculations to represent the pole of the most evolved calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H). According to its chemical formula, its atomic Ca/Si or molar CaO/SiO2 (C/S) ratio is 5/6 (0.83). Jennite represents the less evolved pole with a C/S ratio of 1.50 (9/6).
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