Haidingerite
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| Haidingerite | |
|---|---|
 White crystals of haidingerite associated with yellow orpiment and red realgar from the White Caps Mine, Manhattan District, Nevada, United States. | |
| General | |
| Category | Minerals |
| Formula | Ca(AsO3OH)·H2O |
| Identification | |
| Mohs scale hardness | 2 – 2.5 |
| Specific gravity | 2.95 |
Haidingerite is a calcium arsenate mineral with formula Ca(AsO3OH)·H2O. It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system as short prismatic to equant crystals. It typically occurs as scaly, botryoidal or fibrous coatings.[1] It is soft, Mohs hardness of 2 to 2.5, and has a specific gravity of 2.95. It has refractive indices of nα = 1.590, nβ = 1.602 and nγ = 1.638.[2]
It was originally discovered in 1827 in Jáchymov, Czech Republic. It was named to honor Austrian mineralogist Wilhelm Karl Ritter von Haidinger (1795–1871).[3] It occurs as a dehydration product of pharmacolite in the Getchell Mine, Nevada.[1]
