Periclase Mineral Data

General Periclase Information

Chemical Formula:

MgO

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 40.30 gm

Magnesium 60.30 % Mg 100.00 % MgO

Oxygen 39.70 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

MgO

Environment:

Contact metamorphism of dolomites and magnesites.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1840

Locality:

Monte Somma and Predazzo, Italy. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

From the Greek peri - "around" and klao - "to cut."

Name Pronunciation:

Periclase + Pronunciation

Synonym:

ICSD 9863

PDF 43-1022

Periclase Image

Images:

Periclase

Comments: Green nickel-rich periclase on matrix.
Location: Ronneburg U deposit, Gera district, Thuringia, Germany. Scale: Picture size 1.5 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Srebrodolskite Periclase

Comments: Black grains of srebrodolskite with white periclase.
Location: Ronneburg U deposit, Gera district, Thuringia, Germany. Scale: Picture size 2 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Periclase Crystallography

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.203, Z = 4; V = 74.25 Den(Calc)= 3.61

Crystal System:

Isometric - Hexoctahedral H-M Symbol (4/m 3 2/m) Space Group: F m3m

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.106(1), 1.489(0.52), 1.216(0.12),

Physical Properties of Periclase

Cleavage:

{001} Perfect, {010} Perfect, {100} Perfect

Color:

Brownish yellow, Colorless, Green, Gray white, Yellow.

Density:

3.67 - 3.9, Average = 3.78

Diaphaneity:

Transparent to translucent

Fracture:

Brittle - Conchoidal - Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments.

Habit:

Granular - Generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.

Hardness:

6 - Orthoclase

Luminescence:

Non-Fluorescent, Long UV=light yellow.

Luster:

Vitreous (Glassy)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

white

Optical Properties of Periclase

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= 0.022 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.025 (Excellent) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.205,KPDmeas= 0.1955,KC= 0.2
Ncalc = 1.72 - 1.78

Optical Data:

Isotropic, n=1.74.

Calculated Properties of Periclase

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.76 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Periclase =3.79 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.06
Boson Index = 0.94

Photoelectric:

PE_Periclase= 1.33 barns/electron
U=PE_Periclase x rElectron Density= 4.99 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Periclase is Not Radioactive

Periclase Classification

Dana Class:

04.02.01.01 (04)Simple Oxides

(04.02)with a cation charge of 2+ (A++ O)

(04.02.01)Periclase group (Isometric, Fm3m)

04.02.01.01 Periclase MgO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.02.01.02 Bunsenite NiO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.02.01.03 Manganosite MnO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.02.01.04 Monteponite CdO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.02.01.05 Lime CaO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.02.01.06 Wustite FeO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.02.01.07 Hongquiite* TiO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Strunz Class:

04.AB.25 04 - OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodate

04.A - Metal:Oxygen = 2.1 and 1:1

04.AB -M:O = 1:1 (and up to 1:1.25); with small to medium-sized cations only

04.AB.25 Bunsenite NiO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.AB.25 Lime CaO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.AB.25 Monteponite CdO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.AB.25 Manganosite MnO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.AB.25 Periclase MgO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

04.AB.25 Wustite FeO F m3m 4/m 3 2/m

Other Periclase Information

References:

NAME( Duda&Rejl90) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Periclase :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Amethyst Galleries' Mineral Gallery
3 - Athena
4 - EUROmin Project
5 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
6 - GeoScienceWorld
7 - Google Images
8 - Google Scholar
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
11 - MinDAT
12 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
13 - Online Mineral Museum
14 - QUT Mineral Atlas
15 - Ruff.Info
16 - University of Colorado - Mineral Structure Data
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Periclase using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Periclase :

Ask about Periclase here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Periclase Specimen Label here :

Periclase

MgO
Dana No: 04.02.01.01 Strunz No: 04.AB.25
Locality:

Notes:

Dakota Matrix
Excalibur Minerals
Exceptional Minerals
Hudson Insitute
John Betts Fine Minerals
Mc Dougall Minerals
Mineral News
Rock and Mineral Shows
Weinrich Minerals, Inc.