Difference between revisions of "Marcasite"

Latest revision as of 11:28, 17 October 2022

Women's pumps
MFA# 51.2628a-b

Description

Marcasite

A grayish-yellow mineral composed of Iron disulfide. Marcasite has a different crystalline form than Pyrite, also FeS2. The opaque mineral grows in serrated, spear-shaped twin crystals that resemble a cock's comb. It is more brittle than pyrite and often crumbles due to its unstable crystal structure. Marcasite can undergo 'pyrite decay' in which a specimen turns to white dust. The dust often reacts with moisture in the air to form Sulfuric acid, which in turn can be deleterious to surrounding materials. Marcasite is mined in India, Turkey, Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany, England and the United States (Illinois). Marcasite has never been used as a gem but pyrite has many times been improperly called marcasite when it is used for jewelry and costume decoration.

Synonyms and Related Terms

white iron pyrite; cock's comb pyrite; marcassite (sp.); Markassit (Deut.); marcassita (Esp.); marcassite (Fr., Port.); marcasiet (Ned.)

Raman

Risks

Should be stored in low humidity environment to minimize deterioration.
Can produce sulfur dioxide or sulfuric acid.

Physical and Chemical Properties

Decomposes to form sulfuric acid and iron sulfate.
Orthorhombic system often with serated, spear-shaped twins.
Luster = metallic.
Streak = dark gray to black.
Composition = FeS2
Mohs Hardness = 6.0 - 6.5
Density = 4.6-4.9 g/ml

Resources and Citations

Jack Odgen, Jewellery of the Ancient World, Rizzoli International Publications Inc., New York City, 1982

Encyclopedia Britannica, http://www.britannica.com Comment: "marcasite" ca [Accessed October 23, 2001].

Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcasite (Accessed Sept. 10, 2005)

Thomas Gregory, The Condensed Chemical Dictionary, Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942

G.S.Brady, Materials Handbook, McGraw-Hill Book Co., New York, 1971 Comment: p. 422

Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia, Douglas M. Considine (ed.), Van Nostrand Reinhold, New York, 1976

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-[[File:51.2628a-SC14948.jpg|thumb|]]
+[[File:51.2628a-SC14948.jpg|thumb|Women's pumps<br>MFA# 51.2628a-b]]
 == Description ==
+[[File:pm41202marcasite.jpg|thumb|Marcasite]]
+A grayish-yellow mineral composed of [[iron%20disulfide|iron disulfide]]. Marcasite has a different crystalline form than [[pyrite|pyrite]], also FeS2. The opaque mineral grows in serrated, spear-shaped twin crystals that resemble a cock's comb. It is more brittle than pyrite and often crumbles due to its unstable crystal structure. Marcasite can undergo 'pyrite decay' in which a specimen turns to white dust. The dust often reacts with moisture in the air to form [[sulfuric%20acid|sulfuric acid]], which in turn can be deleterious to surrounding materials. Marcasite is mined in India, Turkey, Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany, England and the United States (Illinois). Marcasite has never been used as a gem but pyrite has many times been improperly called marcasite when it is used for jewelry and costume decoration.
-A grayish-yellow mineral composed of [http://cameo.mfa.org/materials/fullrecord.asp?name=iron%20disulfide iron disulfide]. Marcasite has a different crystalline form than [http://cameo.mfa.org/materials/fullrecord.asp?name=pyrite pyrite], also FeS2. The opaque mineral grows in serrated, spear-shaped twin crystals that resemble a cock's comb. It is more brittle than pyrite and often crumbles due to its unstable crystal structure. Marcasite can undergo 'pyrite decay' in which a specimen turns to white dust. The dust often reacts with moisture in the air to form [http://cameo.mfa.org/materials/fullrecord.asp?name=sulfuric%20acid sulfuric acid], which in turn can be deleterious to surrounding materials. Marcasite is mined in India, Turkey, Russia, the Czech Republic, Germany, England and the United States (Illinois). Marcasite has never been used as a gem but pyrite has many times been improperly called marcasite when it is used for jewelry and costume decoration.
-[[File:pm41202marcasite.jpg|thumb|Marcasite]]
 == Synonyms and Related Terms ==
 white iron pyrite; cock's comb pyrite; marcassite (sp.); Markassit (Deut.); marcassita (Esp.); marcassite (Fr., Port.); marcasiet (Ned.)
 [[[SliderGallery rightalign|marcassiteRS.jpg~Raman]]]
-== Other Properties ==
+== Risks ==
-Decomposes to form sulfuric acid and iron sulfate.  Orthorhombic system often with serrate, spear-shaped twins.  Luster = metallic.  Streak = dark gray to black.
-{| class="wikitable"
-|-
-! scope="row"| Composition
-| FeS2
-|-
-! scope="row"| Mohs Hardness
-| 6.0 - 6.5
-|-
-! scope="row"| Density
-| 4.6-4.9
-|}
-== Hazards and Safety ==
+* Should be stored in low humidity environment to minimize deterioration.
+* Can produce sulfur dioxide or sulfuric acid.
+== Physical and Chemical Properties ==
-Should be stored in low humidity environment to minimize deterioration.  Can produce sulfur dioxide or sulfuric acid.
+* Decomposes to form sulfuric acid and iron sulfate.
+* Orthorhombic system often with serated, spear-shaped twins.
+* Luster = metallic.
+* Streak = dark gray to black.
+* Composition = FeS2
+* Mohs Hardness = 6.0 - 6.5
+* Density = 4.6-4.9 g/ml
-== Authority ==
+==Resources and Citations==
 * Jack Odgen, ''Jewellery of the Ancient World'', Rizzoli International Publications Inc., New York City, 1982
-* ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', http://www.britannica.com  Comment: "marcasite" Encyclopædia Britannica [Accessed October 23, 2001].
+* ''Encyclopedia Britannica'', http://www.britannica.com  Comment: "marcasite" ca [Accessed October 23, 2001].
-* Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, at http://www.wikipedia.com  Comment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcasite (Accessed Sept. 10, 2005)
+* Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcasite (Accessed Sept. 10, 2005)
 * Thomas Gregory, ''The Condensed Chemical Dictionary'', Reinhold Publishing, New York, 3rd ed., 1942