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| Halite | |
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 Halite from the Wieliczka salt mine, Małopolskie, Poland (size: 16x15x13cm) | |
| General | |
| Category | Halide mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | NaCl |
| Strunz classification | 03.AA.20 |
| Crystal symmetry | Isometric hexoctahedral 4/m 3 2/m |
| Unit cell | a = 5.6404(1) Å; Z = 4 |
| Identification | |
| Molecular mass | 58.433 g/mol |
| Color | Colorless or white; also blue, purple, red, pink, yellow, orange, or gray |
| Crystal habit | Predominantly cubes and in massive sedimentary beds, but also granular, fibrous and compact |
| Crystal system | Cubic |
| Cleavage | Perfect {001}, three directions cubic |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Mohs scale hardness | 2 - 2.5 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Streak | White |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent |
| Specific gravity | 2.17 |
| Optical properties | Isotropic |
| Refractive index | n = 1.544 |
| Solubility | Water soluble |
| Other characteristics | Salty flavor, Fluorescent |
| References | |
Halite is the mineral a lot of people call "rock salt". It is a different form of sodium chloride (NaCl). It looks like it is made out of cubes. view more...
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