Amber Mineral Data

Amber Mineral Data

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General Amber Information

Chemical Formula:

[C,H,O]

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 180.29 gm

Hydrogen 11.18 % H 99.92 % H₂O

Carbon 79.94 % C

Oxygen 8.87 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 99.92 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

C₁₂H₂₀O

Environment:

Fossilized tree resin.

IMA Status:

Not Approved IMA

Locality:

Gdansk, Shores of the Baltic Sea, Poland. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Synonym:

Bernstein

Resin

Succinite

Xyloretinite-C10H17O

Amber Image

Images:

Amber

Comments: Rectangular specimen of dark, transparent amber with a large spider entombed inside.
Location: Bitterfeld, Saxony, Germany. Scale: 14x10x10 mm.
© John Betts - Fine Minerals

Amber Crystallography

Crystal System:

Amorphous- No Crystals

Physical Properties of Amber

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Yellow, Brown, Colorless, Brownish red.

Density:

1.05 - 1.15, Average = 1.1

Diaphaniety:

Transparent

Fracture:

Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).

Habit:

Nodular - Tuberose forms having irregular protuberances over the surface.

Habit:

Pulverulent - Forms a loose, poorly-coherent powdery mass.

Hardness:

2-2.5 - Gypsum-Finger Nail

Luminescence:

Fluorescent.

Luster:

Resinous

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Amber

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.445 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
KPDmeas= 0.4909,KC= 0.3397

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=1.54.

Calculated Properties of Amber

Electron Density:

r_electron=1.22 gm/cc
note: r_Amber=1.10 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.00885
Boson Index = 0.99115

Photoelectric:

PE_Amber= 0.15 barns/electron
U=PE_Amber x r_electron= 0.18 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Amber is Not Radioactive

Amber Classification

Dana Class:

50.0.0.0 (50)Organic Minerals

(50.0)Without Dana Classification Numbers

(Organic)

Strunz Class:

IX/C.01-10 IX - Organic compunds

IX/C - Resins and other compounds

IX/C.01 - Bernstein series

IX/C.01-10 Amber [C,H,O] None

Other Amber Information

References:

NAME( Athena)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Amber :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - Google Images
5 - Google Scholar
6 - MinDAT
7 - MinMax(Deutsch)
8 - MinMax(English)
9 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
10 - Philatelic Mineralogy
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info
13 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
14 - Tradeshop.com - The Rainbow of Gems

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Amber Specimen Label here :

Amber

[C,H,O]
Dana No: Unknown Strunz No: IX/C.01-10
Locality:

Notes: