The Kola Scientific Center (KSC) of the Russian Academy of Sciences refuted information about the discovery of a new mineral with high value, which appeared in the media with reference to the Ministry of Education and Science.

KSC General Director Sergey Krivovichev explained: the discovered sample is a rare-earth silicate containing rare earths. It was found in quantities of several dozen needles, each a few micrometers in size. Scientists believe that this is possibly a new mineral, similar to ashcroftine described more than 100 years ago. However, it is impossible to accurately establish its identity – research of that era was not carried out at a sufficiently high level.

The KSC press service clarified: the Ministry of Education and Science will provide official clarifications on August 3. Scientists called the incident a misunderstanding – journalists took something from the press release that was not contained in it. The material sent to newsrooms was dedicated to deciphering the structure of a long-known mineral, not to the discovery of a new one. The text of the press release did not mention either the cost of 145 dollars per millimeter, or the fact of discovering a previously unknown sample.

This refers to a secondary mineral found in the Kirovsky mine of Khibiny. Its value lies in its unique properties, not in its market price. The sample forms the finest needle-like crystals up to 0.2 millimeters long, inside which are hollow silicate tubes about two nanometers in diameter. According to researchers, such a structure opens up prospects for the synthesis of materials in demand for chemical reaction catalysis and in the creation of modern magnetic equipment.