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Sassolite



Sassolite

Yellow sassolite
General
CategoryMineral
Chemical formulaH3BO3
Identification
ColorWhite to gray; yellow; brown; colourless
Crystal habitEncrustations; platy; tabular
Crystal systemTriclinic-pinacoidal
CleavagePerfect, micaceous
FractureSectile
Mohs Scale hardness1
LusterVitreous to pearly
Refractive index1.340-1.459
PleochroismNone - colourless
StreakWhite
Specific gravity1.46-1.5
SolubilitySoluble in water

Sassolite is a borate mineral, and is the mineral form of boric acid. It occurs in volcanic fumaroles and hot springs, as well as in bedded sedimentary borate deposits. Its mineral form was first noted in the early 19th century, and was named after Sasso, Italy, where it was found. Usually coloured white to gray, it is colourless in transmitted light, and can also take on a yellow colour from sulfur impurities, or brown from iron oxides.

See the boric acid entry for additional information.

References

  • MinDAT
  • Webmineral
  • Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
 
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Sassolite". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia.
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