Scolecite and Opal Physical Properties
Tenacity
Brittle
BrittleWalter Schumann
Solubility
Soluble
hot salt water
Durability
Not Available
Not Available
Specific Gravity
2.20-2.23
1.98-2.25
Fracture
Irregular/uneven, UnevenAnthony et al, Handbook of mineralogy (2001), Brittle, Uneven
Conchoidal, Conchoidal, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references, Brittle
Cleavage
Perfect on {110} and {1 1 0}
None
Mohs Hardness
5-5.5
5-6.5
Chemical Composition
CaAl 2Si 3O 10 · 3H 2OUlrich Henn and Claudio C.
SiO2 · nH2O
Scolecite and Opal Chemical Formula
While comparing Scolecite 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 Scolecite and Opal chemical formula.
- Chemical formula of Scolecite- CaAl 2Si 3O 10 · 3H 2OUlrich Henn and Claudio C.
- Chemical formula of Opal- SiO2 · nH2O
Scolecite and Opal Specific Gravity
Another important criteria for qualitative analysis of gemstones is Scolecite and Opal Specific gravity. Specific gravity is the relative density of a gemstone compared with respect to density of water. Gemologists use Scolecite and Opal Optical Properties during the identification of gemstone. Specific gravity of Scolecite is 1.98-2.25 whereas that of Opal is 1.98-2.25.