Anhydrite and Opal Physical Properties
Tenacity
Brittle
BrittleWalter Schumann
Solubility
Not Available
hot salt water
Durability
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.90-2.98
1.98-2.25
Fracture
Conchoidal, Brittle, Conchoidal, UnevenArthur Thomas, Gemstones (2009), Brittle, Conchoidal
Conchoidal, Conchoidal, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references, Brittle
Cleavage
Rare tabular and prismatic crystals. Usually occurs as fibrous, parallel veins that break off into cleavage fragments.
None
Chemical Composition
CaSO 4Michael OâDonoghue , Gems, Sixth edition (2006) More from other references
SiO2 · nH2O
Anhydrite and Opal Chemical Formula
While comparing Anhydrite and Opal physical properties, the important data you should know is its chemical composition. Since chemical formula defines the molecular structure of the crystal, most of the physical properties like color, tenacity, solubility are governed by Anhydrite and Opal chemical formula.
- Chemical formula of Anhydrite- CaSO 4Michael OâDonoghue , Gems, Sixth edition (2006) More from other references
- Chemical formula of Opal- SiO2 · nH2O
Anhydrite and Opal Specific Gravity
Another important criteria for qualitative analysis of gemstones is Anhydrite and Opal Specific gravity. Specific gravity is the relative density of a gemstone compared with respect to density of water. Gemologists use Anhydrite and Opal Optical Properties during the identification of gemstone. Specific gravity of Anhydrite is 1.98-2.25 whereas that of Opal is 1.98-2.25.