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Section: 4 | Physical and Optical Properties of Minerals |
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The table 'Density, Hardness, and Refractive Index of Common Minerals' has one or more different columns to those in the book version.
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John R. Rumble, ed., CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 103rd Edition (Internet Version 2022), CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL.
If a specific table is cited, use the format: "Physical Constants of Organic Compounds," in CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, 103rd Edition (Internet Version 2022), John R. Rumble, ed., CRC Press/Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, FL.

PHYSICAL AND OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF MINERALS

The chemical formula, crystal system, density, hardness, and index of refraction of some common minerals are given in this table. Column definitions for the table are as follows.

Column heading Definition
Name Common name of the mineral, arranged alphabetically
Mol. form. Chemical formula for a typical sample of the mineral; composition often varies considerably with the origin of the sample
Crystal system Crystal system of the mineral
ρ Typical density, in g cm-3; individual samples may vary by a few percent
Hardness Hardness on the Mohs scale (range of 1 to 10, with talc = 1 and diamond = 10)
nα Index of refraction, least value; light of wavelength in the neighborhood of 589 nm; for cubic crystal, there is only a single value
nβ Index of refraction, intermediate value; light of wavelength in the neighborhood of 589 nm 
nγ Index of refraction, greatest value; light of wavelength in the neighborhood of 589 nm


See Ref. 1 for details on the axis systems. Variations of several percent for the index of refraction values are common, depending on the origin and exact composition of the sample.

References

  1. Deer, W. A., Howie, R. A., and Zussman, J., An Introduction to the Rock-Forming Minerals, Second Edition, Longman Scientific & Technical, Harlow, Essex, 1992.
  2. Carmichael, R. S., Practical Handbook of Physical Properties of Rocks and Minerals, CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, 1989.
  3. Donnay, J. D. H., and Ondik, H. M., Crystal Data Determinative Tables, Third Edition, Volume 2, Inorganic Compounds, Joint Committee on Powder Diffraction Standards, Swarthmore, PA, 1973.
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Density, Hardness, and Refractive Index of Common Minerals



NameMol. form.CAS Reg. No.Crystal systemρ/g cm-3Hardnessnαnβnγ
Continued on next page...
AcanthiteAg2S12068-32-5orthorhombic7.22.3
ActinoliteCa2(Mg,Fe)5Si8O22(OH,F)2monoclinic3.235.51.6241.6551.664
AegirineNaFe(SiO3)2monoclinic3.5861.7631.8001.815
AkermaniteCa2MgSi2O714567-90-9tetragonal2.945.51.6321.640
AlabanditeMnS1318-06-5cubic4.03.8
AlbiteNaAlSi3O812244-10-9triclinic2.636.31.5271.5311.538
Allanite(Ca,Mn,Ce,La,Y,Th)2(Fe,Ti)(Al,Fe)O·OH(Si2O7)(SiO4)monoclinic3.85.81.751.781.80
AllemontiteSbAs12337-55-2hexagonal6.03.5
AlmandineFe3Al2Si3O121302-62-1cubic4.326.81.830
AltaitePbTe12037-86-4cubic8.163
AluminiteAl2(SO4)(OH)4·7H2Omonoclinic1.741.51.4591.4641.470
AluniteKAl3(SO4)2(OH)61302-91-6rhombohedral2.83.81.5721.592
AlunogenAl2(SO4)3·18H2O7784-31-8monoclinic1.691.81.4671.471.478
Amblygonite(Li,Na)Al(PO4)(F,OH)triclinic3.15.81.5911.6041.613
AnalciteNaAl(SiO3)2·H2O1318-10-1cubic2.275.51.486
AnataseTiO21317-70-0tetragonal4.235.82.4882.561
AndalusiteAl2OSiO4orthorhombic3.157.51.6351.6391.644
AndesineNaAlSi3O8·CaAl2Si2O8triclinic2.676.31.5501.5531.557
AndoritePbAgSb3S6rhombohedral2.673.3


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