Brucite
Brucite is named after Archibald Bruce, discoverer of the mineral, physician and professor at Yale University.
Brucite forms white, pale green, blue, brownish-red or brown, transparent tabular crystals, platy or foliated or granular masses.
Brucite forms white, pale green, blue, brownish-red or brown, transparent tabular crystals, platy or foliated or granular masses.
| General Information | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chemical Formula |
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| Physical Properties of Brucite | ||||||
| Mohs Hardness | 2.5, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Specific Gravity | 2.39, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Cleavage Quality | Perfect, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Optical Properties of Brucite | ||||||
| Refractive Index | 1.56 to 1.60, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) RI for the ordinary and extraordinary rays is 1.56–1.59 and 1.58–1.60 | |||||
| Optical Character | Uniaxial/+, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) Anomalously biaxial | |||||
| Birefringence | 0.010 to 0.020, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Colour | ||||||
| Colour (General) | Ranges from white through pale green or blue to brownish red and brown, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Transparency | Transparent, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Crystallography of Brucite | ||||||
| Crystal System | Trigonal, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Habit | Tabular crystals, platy or foliated or granular masses, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Geological Environment | ||||||
| Where found: | Occurs as a common alteration of periclase in marble and in low-temperature hydrothermal veins in metamorphic limestones and chlorite schists, Gems, Sixth Edition (2006) | |||||
| Further Information | ||||||
| Mineral information: | Brucite information at mindat.org | |||||