"harder. This became the basis of the hardness scale developed by Mohs. The hardest mineral, diamond was given a value of 10 and softer minerals such as talc were given the very low value of 1 (unity). Other minerals were given intermediate values, depending on their ability to scratch another mineral in the scale. Thus gypsum was given the value 2 because it will scratch talc crystals, and calcite the value 3 because it will scratch gypsum. Minerals are also now classified by chemical characteristics, but the physical properties are still useful in field examination. In 1812, Mohs became a"
"classified into density (often given as specific gravity); measures of mechanical cohesion (hardness, tenacity, cleavage, fracture, parting); macroscopic visual properties (luster, color, streak, luminescence, diaphaneity); magnetic and electric properties; radioactivity and solubility in hydrogen chloride (). ""Hardness"" is determined by comparison with other minerals. In the Mohs scale, a standard set of minerals are numbered in order of increasing hardness from 1 (talc) to 10 (diamond). A harder mineral will scratch a softer, so an unknown mineral can be placed in this scale by which minerals it scratches and which scratch it. A few minerals such as calcite and kyanite"
"as waterhouseite. Waterhouseite Waterhouseite, Mn(PO)(OH), is a hydroxy manganese phosphate mineral. It is a medium-soft, brittle mineral occurring in pseudo-orthorhombic monoclinic bladed crystals and orange-brown to dark brown in color. Waterhouseite is on the softer side with a Mohs hardness of 4, has a specific gravity of 3.5 and a yellowish-brown streak. It is named after Frederick George Waterhouse, first director of the South Australian Museum, as well as recognizes the work Waterhouse Club has done in support of the South Australian Museum. Waterhouseite occurs in divergent sprays of bladed crystals up to 1mm in length and 20 micrometers in"
"testing the resilience of certain flat panel display components (such as cover glass for LCDs or encapsulation for OLEDs). The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is based on the ability of one natural sample of mineral to scratch another mineral visibly. The samples of matter used by Mohs are all different minerals. Minerals are chemically pure solids found in nature. Rocks are made up of one or more minerals. As the hardest known naturally occurring substance when the scale was designed, diamonds are at the top of the scale. The hardness of a material is measured against the scale by"
"as soapstone. Soapstone is relatively soft because of its high talc content, talc having a definitional value of 1 on the Mohs hardness scale. Softer grades may feel similar to soap when touched, hence the name. No fixed hardness is given for soapstone because the amount of talc it contains varies widely, from as little as 30% for architectural grades such as those used on countertops, to as much as 80% for carving grades. Soapstone is often used as an insulator for housing and electrical components, due to its durability and electrical characteristics and because it can be pressed into"
"incorporates additional substances that may fall between levels: Comparison between hardness (Mohs) and hardness (Vickers): Mohs scale of mineral hardness The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. Created in 1812 by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs, it is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science, some of which are more quantitative. The method of comparing hardness by seeing which minerals can visibly scratch others is, however, of great antiquity, having been mentioned by Theophrastus in his treatise"
"Waterhouseite Waterhouseite, Mn(PO)(OH), is a hydroxy manganese phosphate mineral. It is a medium-soft, brittle mineral occurring in pseudo-orthorhombic monoclinic bladed crystals and orange-brown to dark brown in color. Waterhouseite is on the softer side with a Mohs hardness of 4, has a specific gravity of 3.5 and a yellowish-brown streak. It is named after Frederick George Waterhouse, first director of the South Australian Museum, as well as recognizes the work Waterhouse Club has done in support of the South Australian Museum. Waterhouseite occurs in divergent sprays of bladed crystals up to 1mm in length and 20 micrometers in thickness. It"
"Mohs scale of mineral hardness The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a qualitative ordinal scale characterizing scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of harder material to scratch softer material. Created in 1812 by German geologist and mineralogist Friedrich Mohs, it is one of several definitions of hardness in materials science, some of which are more quantitative. The method of comparing hardness by seeing which minerals can visibly scratch others is, however, of great antiquity, having been mentioned by Theophrastus in his treatise ""On Stones"", c. 300 BC, followed by Pliny the Elder in his ""Naturalis Historia"", c."
"any mineral. Its mean refractive index is 3.08 (sodium light wavelengths), versus the indices for diamond and the non-mineral gallium(III) arsenide (GaAs), which are 2.42 and 3.93, respectively. The hardness of cinnabar is 2.0–2.5 on the Mohs scale, and its specific gravity 8.1. Structurally, cinnabar belongs to the trigonal crystal system. It occurs as thick tabular or slender prismatic crystals or as granular to massive incrustations. Crystal twinning occurs as simple contact twins. Note, mercury(II) sulfide, HgS, adopts the cinnabar structure described, and one additional structure, i.e. it is dimorphous. Cinnabar is the more stable form, and is a structure"
"in turn derives from the Sanskrit ""Kuruvinda"". Because of corundum's hardness (pure corundum is defined to have 9.0 on the Mohs scale), it can scratch almost every other mineral. It is commonly used as an abrasive on everything from sandpaper to large tools used in machining metals, plastics, and wood. Some emery is a mix of corundum and other substances, and the mix is less abrasive, with an average Mohs hardness of 8.0. In addition to its hardness, corundum has a density of , which is unusually high for a transparent mineral composed of the low-atomic mass elements aluminium and"
"(""proper"", ""unalterable"", ""unbreakable"") and sometimes called adamant, diamond is the hardest known naturally occurring material, scoring 10 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Diamond is extremely strong owing to the structure of its carbon atoms, where each carbon atom has four neighbors joined to it with covalent bonds. The material boron nitride, when in a form structurally identical to diamond (zincblende structure), is nearly as hard as diamond; a currently hypothetical material, beta carbon nitride, may also be as hard or harder in one form. It has been shown that some diamond aggregates having nanometer grain size are harder"
"Struvite Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) is a phosphate mineral with formula: NHMgPO·6HO. Struvite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system as white to yellowish or brownish-white pyramidal crystals or in platey mica-like forms. It is a soft mineral with Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2 and has a low specific gravity of 1.7. It is sparingly soluble in neutral and alkaline conditions, but readily soluble in acid. Struvite urinary stones and crystals form readily in the urine of animals and humans that are infected with ammonia-producing organisms. They are potentiated by alkaline urine and high magnesium excretion (high magnesium/plant-based diets). They also"
"silicate which adopts the perovskite structure at high pressure. As pressure increases, the SiO tetrahedral units in the dominant silica-bearing minerals become unstable compared with SiO octahedral units. At the pressure and temperature conditions of the lower mantle, the most abundant material is a perovskite-structured mineral with the formula (Mg,Fe)SiO, with the second most abundant material likely the rocksalt-structured (Mg,Fe)O oxide, periclase. At the high pressure conditions of the Earth's lower mantle, the pyroxene enstatite, MgSiO, transforms into a denser perovskite-structured polymorph; this phase may be the most common mineral in the Earth. This phase has the orthorhombically distorted perovskite"
"gives its name to the langbeinites, a family of substances with the same cubic structure, a tetrahedral anion, and large and small cations. Related substances include hydrated salts leonite (KMg(SO)·4HO) and picromerite (KMg(SO)·6HO). Langbeinite Langbeinite is a potassium magnesium sulfate mineral with the chemical formula KMg(SO). Langbeinite crystallizes in the isometric-tetartoidal system as transparent colorless or white with pale tints of yellow to green and violet crystalline masses. It has a vitreous luster. The Mohs hardness is 3.5 to 4 and the specific gravity is 2.83. The crystals are piezoelectric. The mineral is an ore of potassium and occurs in"
"integrity, they are not considered ""scratches"" for the determination of a Mohs scale number. The Mohs scale is a purely ordinal scale. For example, corundum (9) is twice as hard as topaz (8), but diamond (10) is four times as hard as corundum. The table below shows the comparison with the absolute hardness measured by a sclerometer, with pictorial examples. On the Mohs scale, a streak plate (unglazed porcelain) has a hardness of approximately 7.0. Using these ordinary materials of known hardness can be a simple way to approximate the position of a mineral on the scale. The table below"
"Epsomite Epsomite is a hydrous magnesium sulfate mineral with formula MgSO·7HO. Epsomite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system as rarely found acicular or fibrous crystals, the normal form is as massive encrustations. It is colorless to white with tints of yellow, green and pink. The Mohs hardness is 2 to 2.5 and it has a low specific gravity of 1.67. Epsomite is the same as the household chemical, Epsom salt, and is readily soluble in water. It absorbs water from the air and converts to hexahydrate with the loss of one water molecule and a switch to monoclinic structure. Epsomite forms"
"jewelry. They also may be created synthetically in laboratories for industrial or decorative purposes in large crystal boules. Because of the remarkable hardness of sapphires – 9 on the Mohs scale (the third hardest mineral, after diamond at 10 and moissanite at 9.5) – sapphires are also used in some non-ornamental applications, such as infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wristwatch crystals and movement bearings, and very thin electronic wafers, which are used as the insulating substrates of very special-purpose solid-state electronics (especially integrated circuits and GaN-based LEDs). Sapphire is the birthstone for September and the gem of the 45th anniversary."
"has Mohs hardness of 5 and a density of 2.1 g/cm. When it forms well developed crystals they are hairlike; very long, thin, and delicate. Mordenite’s molecular structure is a framework containing chains of five-membered rings of linked silicate and aluminate tetrahedra (four oxygen atoms arranged at the points of a triangular pyramid about a central silicon or aluminium atom). Its high ratio of silicon to aluminum atoms makes it more resistant to attack by acids than most other zeolites. Mordenite is one of the most abundant zeolites in altered volcanic deposits; it is found in volcanic rock such as"
"Y, and pale red when viewed along Z. Pleochroism should not be present if the mineral is colourless. It is not fluorescent. Köttigite is soft, with Mohs hardness only to 3, even softer than calcite, which has a hardness of 3. It is also fairly light, with specific gravity 3.33. Because of its sheetlike structure it has perfect cleavage perpendicular to the b axis; it is flexible, and has a fibrous fracture giving it a silky lustre on cleavage surfaces. It is soluble in acids. It is formed by the alteration of smaltite (Co,Fe,Ni)As and sphalerite ZnS. in oxidized zones"
"Gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO·2HO. It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer, and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard chalk and wallboard. A massive fine-grained white or lightly tinted variety of gypsum, called alabaster, has been used for sculpture by many cultures including Ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Rome, the Byzantine Empire and the Nottingham alabasters of Medieval England. Mohs scale of mineral hardness, based on scratch hardness comparison, defines hardness value 2 as gypsum. It forms as an evaporite mineral and"
"or Pb2n space group. Its lattice constants ""a"" = 4.097, ""b"" = 5.0462, ""c"" = 4.4946, ""Z"" = 4 correspond to the density of 4.294 g/cm, which is among the highest for any forms of silica (for example, density of quartz is 2.65 g/cm). Only stishovite has a comparable density of about 4.3 g/cm. Seifertite Seifertite is a silicate mineral with the formula SiO and is one of the densest polymorphs of silica. It has only been found in Martian and lunar meteorites, where it is presumably formed from either tridymite or cristobalite – other polymorphs of quartz – as"
"Monazite Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare-earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated crystals. It has a hardness of 5.0 to 5.5 on the Mohs scale of mineral hardness and is relatively dense, about 4.6 to 5.7 g/cm. There are at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of the mineral: The elements in parentheses are listed in the order of their relative proportion within the mineral: lanthanum is the most common rare-earth element in monazite-(La), and so forth. Silica (SiO) is present in trace amounts, as well as small amounts of uranium"
"amounts in two known locations around the world. The first location is in the mine it was found in, just outside of Lahnstein Germany, the second, in a small mine in southern California.. Lahnsteinite is a colorless or lightly blue colored transparent mineral. It exhibits a hardness of 1.5 on the Mohs hardness scale placing it right between talc and gypsum. This is characterized by the perfect mica-like cleavages planes parallel to the {001} face. Lahnsteinite crystals occur as hexagonal plates combining to form a triclinic cell. The major forms are {001} and {00-1} faces. Lahnsteinite is flexible with lamellae"
"common diagenetic iron oxyhydroxide in both marine and lake sediments. Goethite is an iron oxyhydroxide containing ferric iron. It is the main component of rust and bog iron ore. Goethite's hardness ranges from 5.0 to 5.5 on the Mohs Scale, and its specific gravity varies from 3.3 to 4.3. The mineral forms prismatic needle-like crystals (""needle iron ore"") but is more typically massive. Feroxyhyte and lepidocrocite are both polymorphs of the iron oxyhydroxide FeO(OH) which are stable at the pressure and temperature conditions of the Earth's surface. Although they have the same chemical formula as goethite, their different crystalline structures"
"was found between children with access to a home water softener and those without. Hardness can be quantified by instrumental analysis. The total water hardness is the sum of the molar concentrations of Ca and Mg, in mol/L or mmol/L units. Although water hardness usually measures only the total concentrations of calcium and magnesium (the two most prevalent divalent metal ions), iron, aluminium, and manganese can also be present at elevated levels in some locations. The presence of iron characteristically confers a brownish (rust-like) colour to the calcification, instead of white (the color of most of the other compounds). Water"
"non-diamonds) fails, it may damage the simulant—an unacceptable outcome for most jewelry owners, as even if a stone is not a diamond, it may still be of value. Following are some of the properties by which diamond and its simulants can be compared and contrasted. The Mohs scale of mineral hardness is a non-linear scale of common minerals' resistances to scratching. Diamond is at the top of this scale (hardness 10), as it is one of the hardest naturally occurring materials known. (Some artificial substances, such as aggregated diamond nanorods, are harder.) Since a diamond is unlikely to encounter substances"
"and the radioisotopes present a significant health and ecological hazard in the environment. Caesium is the softest element (it has a hardness of 0.2 Mohs). It is a very ductile, pale metal, which darkens in the presence of trace amounts of oxygen. When in the presence of mineral oil (where it is best kept during transport), it loses its metallic lustre and takes on a duller, grey appearance. It has a melting point of , making it one of the few elemental metals that are liquid near room temperature. Mercury is the only elemental metal with a known melting point"
"Emerald Emerald is a gemstone and a variety of the mineral beryl (BeAl(SiO)) colored green by trace amounts of chromium and sometimes vanadium. Beryl has a hardness of 7.5–8 on the Mohs scale. Most emeralds are highly included, so their toughness (resistance to breakage) is classified as generally poor. Emerald is a cyclosilicate. The word ""emerald"" is derived (via and ), from Vulgar Latin: ""esmaralda""/""esmaraldus"", a variant of Latin ""smaragdus"", which originated in (smaragdos; ""green gem""). Emeralds, like all colored gemstones, are graded using four basic parameters–the four ""C""s of connoisseurship: ""color"", ""clarity,"" ""cut"" and ""carat weight"". Normally, in the"
"they neutralise the lathering power of soap... and, more important, that they can cause blockage of pipes and severely reduced boiler efficiency because of scale formation. These effects will increase as the hardness rises to and beyond 200 mg/l CaCO3."" A collection of data from the United States found that about half the water stations tested had hardness over 120 mg per litre of calcium carbonate equivalent, placing them in the categories ""hard"" or ""very hard"". The other half were classified as soft or moderately hard. More than 85% of American homes have hard water. The softest waters occur in"
"stone carving. Alabaster and softer kinds of serpentine, all about 3 on the Mohs scale, are more durable than soapstone. Alabaster, in particular, has long been cherished for its translucence. Limestone and sandstone, at about 4 on the Mohs scale, are the only sedimentary stones commonly carved. Limestone comes in a popular oolitic variety, about twice as hard as alabaster, that is excellent for carving. The harder serpentines can also reach 4 on the Mohs scale. Marble, travertine, and onyx are at about 6 on the Mohs scale. Marble has been the preferred stone for sculptors in the European tradition"
"Aluminite Aluminite is a hydrous aluminium sulfate mineral with formula: AlSO(OH)·7HO. It is an earthy white to gray-white monoclinic mineral which almost never exhibits crystal form. It forms botryoidal to mammillary clay-like masses. It has a very soft Mohs hardness of 1–2 and a specific gravity of 1.66–1.82. It forms in clay and lignite deposits as an oxidation product of pyrite and marcasite along with aluminium silicates. It also occurs in volcanic sublimates, in native sulfur deposits and rarely in caves. It occurs in association with basaluminite, gibbsite, epsomite, gypsum, celestine, dolomite and goethite. It was first described in 1807"
"have a hardness approaching 6, which is similar to turquoise. Chrysocolla Chalcedony is a heavily silicified form of chrysocolla that forms in quartz deposits and can be very hard and approach a hardness of 7. Chrysocolla Chrysocolla is a hydrated copper phyllosilicate mineral with formula: CuAl(HSiO)(OH)·HO (<1) or (Cu,Al)HSiO(OH)·HO. The structure of the mineral has been questioned, as spectrographic studies suggest material identified as chrysocolla may be a mixture of the copper hydroxide spertiniite and chalcedony. The name comes from the (chrysos kolla), ""gold glue"", in allusion to the name of the material used to solder gold, and was first"
"developed and tested successfully at wastewater treatment plants in the USA. The electronic sine wave it produces is sent through the water in the pipe and is therefore effective on underground piping as well. Struvite Struvite (magnesium ammonium phosphate) is a phosphate mineral with formula: NHMgPO·6HO. Struvite crystallizes in the orthorhombic system as white to yellowish or brownish-white pyramidal crystals or in platey mica-like forms. It is a soft mineral with Mohs hardness of 1.5 to 2 and has a low specific gravity of 1.7. It is sparingly soluble in neutral and alkaline conditions, but readily soluble in acid. Struvite"