Baryte and Opal Physical Properties
Tenacity
Brittle
  
BrittleWalter Schumann
  
Solubility
Soluble
  
hot salt water
  
Durability
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
4.3-5
  
1.98-2.25
  
Fracture
Irregular/uneven
  
Conchoidal, Conchoidal, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references, Brittle
  
Cleavage
Perfect cleavage parallel to base and prism faces: {001} Perfect, {210} Perfect, {010} Imperfect
  
None
  
Mohs Hardness
3-3.5
  
5-6.5
  
Chemical Composition
Not Available
  
SiO2 · nH2O
  
Baryte and Opal Chemical Formula
While comparing Baryte 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 Baryte and Opal chemical formula.
>- Chemical formula of Opal- SiO2 · nH2O
Baryte and Opal Specific Gravity
Another important criteria for qualitative analysis of gemstones is Baryte and Opal Specific gravity. Specific gravity is the relative density of a gemstone compared with respect to density of water. Gemologists use Baryte and Opal Optical Properties during the identification of gemstone. Specific gravity of Baryte is 1.98-2.25 whereas that of Opal is 1.98-2.25.