Diopside Mineral Data

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General Diopside Information

Chemical Formula:

CaMgSi2O6

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 216.55 gm

Calcium 18.51 % Ca 25.90 % CaO

Magnesium 11.22 % Mg 18.61 % MgO

Silicon 25.94 % Si 55.49 % SiO₂

Oxygen 44.33 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CaMg(Si₂O₆)

Environment:

Basic and ultrabasic igneous and metamorphic rocks.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1800

Locality:

Wide spread occurrence. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek dis - "two kinds" and opsis - "opinion."

Name Pronunciation:

Diopside

Synonym:

Dillage

ICSD 100738

PDF 19-239

Diopside Image

Images:

Diopside Grossular

Comments: Pale blue prismatic crystal of diopside with orange-brown grossular.
Location: Val d'Aosta, Italy. Scale: Not Given.
© Lou Perloff / Photo Atlas of Minerals

Images:

Diopside Magnesioferrite

Comments: Very dark brown Magnesioferrite Pleonaste (Iron-Magnesium spinel) with cream colored Calcite and gray green diopside.
Location: Aldan, Gon River, Russia. Scale: 6 x 4.5 cm.
© Fabre Minerals

Diopside Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.0935:1:0.589

Cell Dimensions:

a = 9.761, b = 8.926, c = 5.258, Z = 4; beta = 105.8° V = 440.80 Den(Calc)= 3.26

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: C 2/c

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.991(1), 2.528(0.4), 2.893(0.3),

Forms:

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Forms: ( 0 1 0) ( 1 1 1) ( 2 2 1) ( 1 0 1) ( 1 0 0) ( 0 0 1)

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Crystal Structure:

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Cameron M , Sueno S , Prewitt C T , Papike J J , American Mineralogist , 58 (1973) p.594-618, High-temperature crystal chemistry of acmite, diopside, hedenbergite, jadeite,, spodumene, and ureyite, T = 24 C, pyroxene

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Diopside
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [3] [30] [31] [32] [33] [34] [35] [36] [37] [38] [39] [4] [40] [41] [42] [43] [44] [45] [46] [47] [48] [49] [5] [50] [51] [52] [53] [54] [55] [56] [57] [58] [59] [6] [60] [61] [62] [63] [64] [65] [66] [67] [68] [69] [7] [70] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Diopside

Cleavage:

{110} Good, {???} Indistinct

Color:

Blue, Brown, Colorless, Green, Gray.

Density:

3.25 - 3.55, Average = 3.4

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Habit:

Blocky - Crystal shape tends to be equant (e.g. feldspars).

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Sometimes fluorescent.- red-purple

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Streak:

white green

Optical Properties of Diopside

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.015 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.027 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2126,KPDmeas= 0.2039,KC= 0.207
Ncalc = 1.67 - 1.73

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.663-1.699, b=1.671-1.705, g=1.693-1.728, bire=0.0290-0.0300, 2V(Calc)=56-64, 2V(Meas)=58-63. Dispersion weak to distinct, r > v.

Pleochroism (x):

pale bluish green or dark blue green.

Pleochroism (y):

brownish green or dark blue green.

Calculated Properties of Diopside

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.39 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Diopside =3.40 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.02
Boson Index = 0.98

Photoelectric:

PE_Diopside= 3.51 barns/electron
U=PE_Diopside x rElectron Density= 11.91 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Diopside is Not Radioactive

Diopside Classification

Dana Class:

65.01.03a.01 (65)Inosilicate Single-Width Unbranched Chains, W=1

(65.01)with chains P=2

(65.01.03a)C2/c clinopyroxenes (Ca clinopyroxenes)

65.01.03a.01 Diopside CaMgSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m

65.01.03a.02 Hedenbergite CaFeSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m

65.01.03a.03 Augite (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al,Ti)(Si,Al)2O6 C 2/c 2/m

65.01.03a.04 Johannsenite CaMnSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m

65.01.03a.05 Petedunnite Ca(Zn,Mn,Fe,Mg)Si2O6 C 2/c 2/m

65.01.03a.06 Esseneite CaFeAlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m

65.01.03a.07 Davisite! Ca(Sc,Ti,Mg,Ti)AlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m

Strunz Class:

09.DA.15 09 - SILICATES (Germanates)

09.D - Inosilicates* Structural terminology according to Liebau (1985)

09.DA -Inosilicates with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; pyroxene family

09.DA.15 Augite (Ca,Na)(Mg,Fe,Al,Ti)(Si,Al)2O6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DA.15 Esseneite CaFeAlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DA.15 Diopside CaMgSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DA.15 Johannsenite CaMnSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DA.15 Hedenbergite CaFeSi2O6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DA.15 Petedunnite Ca(Zn,Mn,Fe,Mg)Si2O6 C 2/c 2/m

09.DA.15 Davisite! Ca(Sc,Ti,Mg,Ti)AlSiO6 C 2/c 2/m

Other Diopside Information

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

Diopside

CaMgSi2O6
Dana No: 65.01.03a.01 Strunz No: 09.DA.15
Locality:

Notes: