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