Mineral phase
IMA name
Chrysotile subgroup
Type
Class
silicate mineral
Compound type
phyllosilicate
Chemical composition
Formula
$(Mg, Ni)_3.Si_2O_5(OH)_4$
Chemical formula
(Mg or Ni)3Si2O5(OH)4
Elemental formula
(Mg)0-3 (Ni)0-3 Si2 O9 H4
Isotope mixture type
terrestrial abundance
  Formula Name Family Number min-max Isotope mole fraction State Relevance
$Mg$ Magnesium element 0 - 3 constituent element main
$Ni$ Nickel element 0 - 3 constituent element main
$Si$ Silicon element 2 constituent element main
$O$ Oxygen element 9 constituent element main
$H$ Hydrogen element 4 constituent element main
Composition comments
Common impurities: Al, $Fe_{3+}$, $Fe_{2+}$, $Cr_{3+}$, Mn, Mg, Ti, Ca, H2O
Chemical functions
  Function Number
$(OH)^-$ 4
Chemical bonds
  Bond Number
$O^--H$ 1
Oxides
Formula $MgO$ $NiO$ $SiO_{2}$ $H_{2}O$
Mass fraction (%)

Strunz

Class
silicates (09)
Division
phyllosilicate (09.E)
Family
with kaolinite layers composed of tetrahedral and octahedral nets (09.ED)
Code
09.ED.15

Dana

Major class
silicates (VIII)
Class
phyllosilicate sheets of six-membered rings (71)
Type
with 1:1 layers (71.01)
Group
Serpentine group (Chrysotile subgroup) (71.01.02d)
End-members
Phase type
crystalline
Crystal system
various
Crystal class
various
Crystal class symbol
various
Crystal spacegroup
various
Molar mass
277.11 - 380.27 $g/mol$
Density
2.53 - 3.84 $g/cm^3$
State NTP
solid
Refringence type
biaxial
Refringence sign
positive or negative
Birefringence
0. - 0.038
Refraction index $n_{\alpha}$
1.545 - 1.569
Refraction index $n_{\beta}$
1.546 - 1.603
Refraction index $n_{\gamma}$
1.553 - 1.603
Dispersion V
weak to strong
Pure color
colorless
Color
various
Diaphaneity
translucent to opaque
Luster
various
Links