Bischofite Mineral Data

Bischofite Mineral Data +

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General Bischofite Information

Chemical Formula:

MgCl2·6(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 203.30 gm

Magnesium 11.96 % Mg 19.82 % MgO

Hydrogen 5.95 % H 53.17 % H₂O

Chlorine 34.88 % Cl 34.88 % Cl

- % Cl -7.87 % -O=Cl₂

Oxygen 47.22 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

MgCl₂·6(H₂O)

Environment:

Marine evaporites. Terminal crystallization point in the K-Mg-Na salt sequence. Commonly enriched in Br.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1877

Locality:

Leopoldshall and Stassfut, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

For Karl Gustav Bischo (1792-1870), German geologist and mineral chemist, University of Bonn, Bonn, Germany.

Synonym:

ICSD 47161

PDF 25-515

Bischofite Image

Images:

Bischofite

Comments: Colorless grains of bischofite. The mineral is very hygroscopic and must be stored in a closed vial.
Location: Stassfurt, Stassfurt Deposit, Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Scale: Picture size 5 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Bischofite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.3846:1:0.8531

Cell Dimensions:

a = 9.9, b = 7.15, c = 6.1, Z = 2; beta = 93.7° V = 430.89 Den(Calc)= 1.57

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: C 2/m

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 4.1(1), 2.65(0.75), 2.88(0.5),

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Physical Properties of Bischofite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Colorless, White.

Density:

1.56

Diaphaniety:

Translucent to transparent

Fracture:

Conchoidal - Uneven - Uneven fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Habit:

Deliquescent - Crystals absorb water from the air and melt or otherwise deteriorate.

Habit:

Fibrous - Crystals made up of fibers.

Habit:

Massive - Granular - Common texture observed in granite and other igneous rock.

Hardness:

1.5-2 - Talc-Gypsum

Luster:

Vitreous - Greasy

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Bischofite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.011 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= 0.018 (Superior) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.3248,KPDmeas= 0.3269,KC= 0.3306

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.495, b=1.507, g=1.528, bire=0.0330, 2V(Calc)=76, 2V(Meas)=79.4.

Calculated Properties of Bischofite

Electron Density:

r_electron=1.63 gm/cc
note: r_Bischofite=1.56 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.01219
Boson Index = 0.98781

Photoelectric:

PE_Bischofite= 2.58 barns/electron
U=PE_Bischofite x r_electron= 4.19 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Bischofite is Not Radioactive

Bischofite Classification

Dana Class:

9.2.9.1 (9)Anhydrous and Hydrated Halides

(9.2)where A (X)2

(9.2.9)Dana Group

9.2.9.1 Bischofite MgCl2·6(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

9.2.9.2 Nickelbischofite NiCl2·6(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

Strunz Class:

III/A.12-30 III - Halogenides

III/A - Simple Halogenides, with water Metal : Halogen = 1 : 1 to 1 : 3

III/A.12 - Hydrohalite - Antarcticite series

III/A.12-10 Hydrohalite NaCl·2(H2O) P 2₁/c 2/m

III/A.12-20 Eriochalcite CuCl2·2(H2O) Pbmn 2/m 2/m 2/m

III/A.12-30 Bischofite MgCl2·6(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

III/A.12-40 Nickelbischofite NiCl2·6(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

III/A.12-50 Rokuhnite FeCl2·(H2O) C 2/m 2/m

III/A.12-70 Sinjarite CaCl2·2(H2O) Unk. Tetra

III/A.12-80 Antarcticite CaCl2·6(H2O) P 3₂1 3 2

Other Bischofite Information

References:

NAME( Ford32) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Bischofite :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - EUROmin Project 4 -Google Images 5 -Google Scholar 6 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 7 -MinDAT 8 -MinMax(Deutsch) 9 -MinMax(English) 10 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 11 -QUT Mineral Atlas 12 - WWW-MINCRYST 13 -École des Mines de Paris

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Bischofite

MgCl2·6(H2O)
Dana No: 9.2.9.1 Strunz No: III/A.12-30
Locality:

Notes: