Forsterite and Spodumene Physical Properties
Tenacity
Not Available
Brittle
Solubility
Not Available
insoluble
Durability
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
3.23-3.26
3.15-3.21
Fracture
Conchoidal, ConchoidalAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001), Conchoidal, Brittle
Uneven, Subconchoidal, Gemstones (2009)
Cleavage
Perfect on {010} imperfect on {100}
Perfect prismatic, two directions {110} ∧ {1 1 0} at 87°
Chemical Composition
Mg 2SiO 4Michael OâDonoghue , Gems, Sixth Edition (2006)
LiAlSi2O6
Forsterite and Spodumene Chemical Formula
While comparing Forsterite and Spodumene 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 Forsterite and Spodumene chemical formula.
- Chemical formula of Forsterite- Mg 2SiO 4Michael OâDonoghue , Gems, Sixth Edition (2006)
- Chemical formula of Spodumene- LiAlSi2O6
Forsterite and Spodumene Specific Gravity
Another important criteria for qualitative analysis of gemstones is Forsterite and Spodumene Specific gravity. Specific gravity is the relative density of a gemstone compared with respect to density of water. Gemologists use Forsterite and Spodumene Optical Properties during the identification of gemstone. Specific gravity of Forsterite is 3.15-3.21 whereas that of Spodumene is 3.15-3.21.