Fragile - Crystals with a delicate and easily injured structure.
Habit:
Acicular - Occurs as needle-like crystals.
Habit:
Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).
Habit:
Tabular - Form dimensions are thin in one direction.
Hardness:
2.5 - Finger Nail
Luster:
Pearly
Streak:
pale yellow
Optical Properties of Piretite
Gladstone-Dale:
CI meas= -0.21 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC) CI calc= -0.24 (Poor) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.1722,KPDmeas= 0.1681,KC= 0.1389 Ncalc = 1.54 - 1.56
Optical Data:
Biaxial (-), a=1.54, b=1.73, g=1.75, bire=0.2100, 2V(Calc)=32, 2V(Meas)=33. Dispersion weak, r > v.
Calculated Properties of Piretite
Electron Density:
Bulk Density (Electron Density)=3.45 gm/cc note: Specific Gravity of Piretite =4.01 gm/cc.
Fermion Index:
Fermion Index = 0.01 Boson Index = 0.99
Photoelectric:
PEPiretite =1,522.12 barns/electron U=PEPiretite x relectron=5,252.51 barns/cc.
Radioactivity:
GRapi = 4,215,231.46 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Concentration of Piretite per GRapi unit = 237.23 (PPB)
Piretite is Radioactive as defined in 49 CFR 173.403. Greater than 70 Bq / gram.
Estimated Radioactivity from Piretite - very strong
Specimen Size Weight/Volume (Sphere) *
Calculated Activity Bequerols (Bq)
Calculated Activity Curies (Ci)
Estimated Activity GR(api)
Estimated Exposure (mRem**)/hr If Held in Hand For One Hour
1000 gm / 7.81 cm
102,736,545
2.78E-03
4,215,231.46
1,385.83
100 gm / 3.63 cm
10,273,655
2.78E-04
421,523.15
138.58
10 gm / 1.68 cm
1,027,365
2.78E-05
42,152.31
13.86
1 gm / 7.81 mm
102,737
2.78E-06
4,215.23
1.39
0.1 gm / 3.63 mm
10,274
2.78E-07
421.52
0.14
0.01 gm / 1.68 mm
1,027
2.78E-08
42.15
0.01
0.001 gm / 0.78 mm
103
2.78E-09
4.22
0.00
Weight of pure Piretite in grams (gm) and Calculated Diameter of a Sphere with a Density of 4.01 gm/cc.*
Goverment Estimate of Average Annual Exposure (
360 mRem)
** Note: 10 microsieverts/hr = 1 mRem/hr **
Max Permissable Adult Dose 50,000 mRem/yr (hands), 15,000 mRem/yr (eyes)
Lethal Dose LD(50) Exposure 400,000 to 500,000 mRem
Chemical Formula: 
- very strong