sylvite
Sign in to saveSylvite, or sylvine, is potassium chloride (KCl) in natural mineral form. It forms crystals in the isometric system very similar to normal rock salt, halite (NaCl). The two are, in fact, isomorphous. Sylvite is colorless to white with shades of yellow and red due to inclusions. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and a specific gravity of 1.99. It has a refractive index of 1.4903. Sylvite has a salty taste with a distinct bitterness.
Key facts
- Mineral.name
- Sylvite
- Mineral.category
- Halide mineral
- Mineral.image
- Mineral Silvina GDFL105.jpg
- Mineral.imagesize
- 250px
- Mineral.formula
- KCl
- Mineral.IMAsymbol
- Syl
- Mineral.molweight
- 74.55 g/mol
- Mineral.strunz
- 3.AA.20
- Mineral.system
- Isometric
- Mineral.class
- Hexoctahedral (mm) H-M symbol: (4/m 2/m)
- Mineral.symmetry
- Fm3m
- Mineral.unit cell
- a = 6.2931 Å; Z = 4
- Mineral.color
- Colorless to white, pale gray, pale blue; may be yellowish red to red due to hematite inclusions
- Mineral.habit
- As cubes and octahedra; columnar, in crusts, coarse granular, massive
- Mineral.cleavage
- Perfect on [100], [010], [001]
- Mineral.fracture
- Uneven
- Mineral.tenacity
- Brittle to ductile
- Mineral.mohs
- 2
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Sylvite, or sylvine, is potassium chloride (KCl) in natural mineral form. It forms crystals in the isometric system very similar to normal rock salt, halite (NaCl). The two are, in fact, isomorphous. Sylvite is colorless to white with shades of yellow and red due to inclusions. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.5 and a specific gravity of 1.99. It has a refractive index of 1.4903. Sylvite has a salty taste with a distinct bitterness.
Sylvite is one of the last evaporite minerals to precipitate out of solution. As such, it is found only in very dry saline areas. Its principal use is as a potassium fertilizer. thumb|left|180px|Sylvite thumb|left|180px|Sylvite from Germany