Constituent
Name
Dolomite
IMA name
Dolomite
Class
non-silicate mineral
Compound type
carbonate
Constituent abundance in material
Relevance
main - minor
Arrangement
heterogeneous in multi-phases
Chemical composition
Formula
$CaMg(CO_3)_2$
Chemical formula
CaMg(CO3)2
Elemental formula
(Ca2+) (Mg2+) C2 O2 (O-)4
Isotope mixture type
terrestrial abundance
  Formula Name Family Number min-max Isotope mole fraction State Relevance
$Ca^{2+}$ Calcium cation element 1 constituent cation main
$Mg^{2+}$ Magnesium(II) cation element 1 constituent cation main
$(CO_3)^{2-}$ Carbonate anion chemical function 2 anionic radical main
Composition comments
Common impurities: Fe, Mn, Co, Pb, Zn
Chemical functions
  Function Number
$(CO_3)^{2-}$ 2
Chemical bonds
  Bond Number
$\cdot Ca^{2+} \cdot O^{-}-$ 2
$\cdot Mg^{2+} \cdot O^{-}-$ 2
$\dddot - \dddot - C \dddot - O^{-2/3}$ 3
Oxides
Formula $CaO$ $MgO$ $CO_{2}$
Mass fraction (%) 30.41 21.86 47.73

Strunz

Class
carbonates - nitrates (05)
Division
carbonates without additional anions, without H2O (05.A)
Family
Alkali-earth (and other M2+) carbonates (05.AB)
Code
05.AB.10

Dana

Major class
carbonates, nitrates, borates (V)
Class
anhydrous carbonates (14)
Type
with compound formula A+B++(CO3)2 (14.02)
Group
Dolomite group (Trigonal: R-3) (14.02.01)
Code
14.02.01.01
Phase type
crystalline
Crystal system
trigonal
Crystal class
rhombohedral
Crystal class symbol
-3 (S6)
Crystal spacegroup
R-3
Molar mass
184.40 $g/mol$
Density
2.8 - 2.9 $g/cm^3$
Refringence type
uniaxial
Refringence sign
negative
Birefringence
0.179 - 0.181
Refraction index $n_{\alpha}$
1.679 - 1.681
Refraction index $n_{\beta}$
1.50
Color
white, gray, reddish white, brownish white
Diaphaneity
transparent to translucent
Luster
vitreous