Spodumene and Opal Physical Properties
Tenacity
Brittle
  
BrittleWalter Schumann
  
Solubility
insoluble
  
hot salt water
  
Durability
Not Available
  
Not Available
  
Specific Gravity
3.15-3.21
  
1.98-2.25
  
Fracture
Uneven, Subconchoidal, Gemstones (2009)
  
Conchoidal, Conchoidal, Gemstones of the world (2001) More from other references, Brittle
  
Cleavage
Perfect prismatic, two directions {110} ∧ {1 1 0} at 87°
  
None
  
Mohs Hardness
6-7
  
5-6.5
  
Chemical Composition
LiAlSi2O6
  
SiO2 · nH2O
  
Spodumene and Opal Chemical Formula
While comparing Spodumene 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 Spodumene and Opal chemical formula.
- Chemical formula of Spodumene- LiAlSi2O6
- Chemical formula of Opal- SiO2 · nH2O
Spodumene and Opal Specific Gravity
Another important criteria for qualitative analysis of gemstones is Spodumene and Opal Specific gravity. Specific gravity is the relative density of a gemstone compared with respect to density of water. Gemologists use Spodumene and Opal Optical Properties during the identification of gemstone. Specific gravity of Spodumene is 1.98-2.25 whereas that of Opal is 1.98-2.25.