Halite Mineral Data

Halite Mineral Data +

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General Halite Information

Chemical Formula:

NaCl

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 58.44 gm

Sodium 39.34 % Na 53.03 % Na₂O

Chlorine 60.66 % Cl 60.66 % Cl

- % Cl -13.69 % -O=Cl₂

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

NaCl

Environment:

Marine or continental evaporite deposits.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) Prehistoric

Locality:

World wide in sedimentary basins. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek halos, meaning "salt" and lithos meaning "rock."

Synonym:

ICSD 18189

Murate of Sota

PDF 5-628

Rock Salt

Sodium Chloride

Halite Image

Images:

Halite

Comments: Hoppered pink halite crystals from the evaporation ponds. The pink color is due to the organism Halo bacterium that lives in the concentrated brine.
Location: Searles Lake, Trona, San Bernadino County, California, USA. Scale: Crystal size 2 cm.
© John Veevaert

Halite Crystallography

Cell Dimensions:

a = 5.6402, Z = 4; V = 179.43 Den(Calc)= 2.16

Crystal System:

Isometric - HexoctahedralH-M Symbol (4/m 3 2/m) Space Group: F m3m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.821(1), 1.994(0.55), 1.628(0.15),

Forms:

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Forms: [ 1 0 0]

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Crystal Structure:

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Finger L W , King H E , American Mineralogist , 63 (1978) p.337-342, A revised method of operation of the single-crystal diamond cell and refinement, of the structure of NaCl at 32 kbar

View Additional jPOWD Structure files for Halite
[1] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [2] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]

Physical Properties of Halite

Cleavage:

[100] Perfect, [010] Perfect, [001] Perfect

Color:

White, Clear, Light blue, Dark blue, Pink.

Density:

2.17

Diaphaniety:

Transparent

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Crystalline - Coarse - Occurs as well-formed coarse sized crystals.

Habit:

Euhedral Crystals - Occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form.

Habit:

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

Hardness:

2.5 - Finger Nail

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Halite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.143 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.139 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2519,KPDmeas= 0.2507,KC= 0.2924

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=1.544.

Calculated Properties of Halite

Electron Density:

r_electron=2.07 gm/cc
note: r_Halite=2.16 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0
Boson Index = 1

Photoelectric:

PE_Halite= 4.63 barns/electron
U=PE_Halite x r_electron= 9.59 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Halite is Not Radioactive

Halite Classification

Dana Class:

9.1.1.1 (9)Anhydrous and Hydrated Halides

(9.1)where A X

(9.1.1)Dana Group

9.1.1.1 Halite NaCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

9.1.1.2 Sylvite KCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

9.1.1.3 Villiaumite NaF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

9.1.1.4 Carobbiite KF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

9.1.1.5 Griceite LiF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

III/A.02-30 III - Halogenides

III/A - Simple halogenides, without water Metal : Halogen = 1 : 1

III/A.02 - Halite series Griceite - Bromargyrite

III/A.02-05 Griceite LiF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

III/A.02-10 Villiaumite NaF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

III/A.02-20 Carobbiite KF F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

III/A.02-30 Halite NaCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

III/A.02-40 Sylvite KCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

III/A.02-50 Chlorargyrite AgCl F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

III/A.02-60 Bromargyrite AgBr F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Other Halite Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

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Halite

NaCl
Dana No: 9.1.1.1 Strunz No: III/A.02-30
Locality:

Notes: