8 Photos
Triphylite
Chemical Formula	LiMnPO4
Species	Phosphates
Crystal System	Orthorhombic
Mohs Scale	4
Specific Gravity	3.445-3.50
Color	Clove-brown, yellowish brown, honey-yellow, salmon-pink, blue-gray, gray
Streak	White to grayish white
Luster	Sub-Vitreous, Resinous, Greasy
Refractive Index	n = 1.689 - 1.705 n = 1.685 - 1.710 n = 1.685 - 1.720
Diaphaneity	Translucent
Cleavage	Very GoodOn nearly perfect; on good; on poor.
Fracture	Irregular/Uneven
Crystal Habit：Prismatic – crystals shaped like slender prisms
Geological Setting：Complex zoned granitic pegmatites.

Lithiophilite is a mineral containing the element lithium. It is lithium manganese(II) phosphate with formula: LiMnPO₄. It occurs in pegmatites often associated with triphylite, the iron end member in a solid solution series. The mineral with intermediate composition is known as sicklerite (Li(Mn,Fe)PO₄). The name lithiophilite is derived from the Greek philos (φιλ??) "friend," as lithiophilite is usually found with lithium.

Lithiophylite is a resinous reddish to yellowish brown mineral crystallizing in the orthorhombic system often as slender prisms. It is usually associated with lepidolite, beryl, quartz, albite, amblygonite, and spodumene of pegmatitic origin. It rather readily weathers to a variety of secondary manganese phosphates and oxides. It is a late-stage mineral in some complex granite pegmatites. Members of the triphylite-lithiophilite series readily alter to secondary minerals.

The type locality is the Branchville Quarry, Branchville, Fairfield County, Connecticut where it was first reported in 1878. The largest documented single crystal of lithiophilite was found in New Hampshire, US, measured 2.44×1.83×1.22 m³ and weighed ~20 tonnes.

The synthetic form of triphylite, lithium iron phosphate, is a promising material for the production of lithium-ion batteries; the defect and crystal structure properties of the natural material make it unsuitable for this use.^{[citation needed]}