The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, is iron disulfide, FeS₂. It has isometric crystals that usually appear as cubes or pyritohedrons. It has a slightly uneven and conchoidal fracture, a hardness of 6–6.5, and a specific gravity of 4.95–5.10. Its metallic luster and pale-to-normal brass-yellow hue have earned it the nickname fool's gold, but ironically enough, small quantities of actual gold can sometimes be found in pyrite. In fact, some auriferous pyrite is a very valuable ore of gold, and others are excellent ores of arsenic, nickel, cobalt and copper. Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... A chemical formula (also called molecular formula) is a concise way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metal Group, Period, Block 8 (VIIIB), 4, d Density, Hardness 7874 kg/m3, 4. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16 (VIA), 3, p Density, Hardness 1960 kg/m3, 2 Appearance Lemon yellow at STP Atomic properties Atomic weight 32. ... In mineralogy, shape and size give rise to descriptive terms applied to the typical appearance, or habit of crystals. ... Rose des Sables (Sand Rose), a formation of gypse crystal In mineralogy and crystallography, a crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms in a crystal. ... In embryology, cleavage is the division of cells in the early embryo. ... A fracture is the separation of a body into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress. ... Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer. ... The refractive index of a material is the factor by which electromagnetic radiation is slowed down (relative to vacuum) when it travels inside the material. ... Pleochroism is an optical phenomenon where due to double refraction of light by a colored gem or crystal, the light is divided into two paths which are polarized at a 90° angle to each other. ... In any mineral, its streak refers to the color of its powder. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... Fusibility is the ease with which a material will melt. ... A solvent is a liquid that dissolves a solid, liquid, or gaseous solute, resulting in a solution. ... Minerals are natural compounds formed through geological processes. ... Quartz crystal A crystal is a solid in which the constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are packed in a regularly ordered, repeating pattern extending in all three spatial dimensions. ... Mohs scale of mineral hardness characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals through the ability of a harder material to scratch a softer. ... Relative density (also known as specific gravity) is a measure of the density of a material. ... For the file system called Lustre, see Lustre (file system) Lustre (American English: luster) is a description of the way light interacts with the surface of a crystal, rock or mineral. ... Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 (IB), 6, d Density, Hardness 19. ... An ore is a mineral deposit containing a metal or other valuable resource in economically viable concentrations. ... General Name, Symbol, Number arsenic, As, 33 Series metalloids Group, Period, Block 15 (VA), 4, p Density, Hardness 5727 kg/m3, 3. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nickel, Ni, 28 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 10 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8908 kg/m³, 4. ... General Name, Symbol, Number cobalt, Co, 27 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 9 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8. ... General Name, Symbol, Number copper, Cu, 29 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11 , 4, d Density, Hardness 8920 kg/m3, 3. ...

Pyrite is the most common of the sulfide minerals. It is usually found associated with other sulfides or oxides in quartz veins, sedimentary rock and metamorphic rock, as well as in coal beds, and as the replacement mineral in fossils. Pyrites, interestingly, can show negative resistance, acting as radio detectors and have been used in oscillator circuits. (http://home.earthlink.net/~lenyr/iposc.htm) In chemistry, a sulfide (sulphide in British and Canadian English) is a combination of sulfur with an oxidation number of -2, with another chemical element or a radical thereof. ... An oxide is a chemical compound of oxygen with other chemical elements, e. ... For other uses of this word, see Quartz (disambiguation). ... Two types of sedimentary rock: limey shale overlaid by limestone. ... Metamorphic rock is the result of the transformation of a pre-existing rock type, the protolith, in a process called metamorphism, which means change in form, derived from the Greek words meta, change, and morphe, form. The protolith is subjected to extreme heat (>150 degrees Celsius) and pressure causing profound... Coal is a fossil fuel extracted from the ground either by underground mining, open-pit mining or strip mining. ... FOSSIL is a standard for allowing serial communication for telecommunications programs under DOS. FOSSIL stands for Fido Opus Seadog Standard Interface Layer and was made by a group of Fidonet sysops to make their software work on different machines. ... In electrical circuits, static resistance is the ratio of the voltage across a circuit element to the current through it. ...

Pyrite exposed to the environment during mining and excavation can react with oxygen and water to form acid mine drainage in the form of sulfuric acid. Similarly, the paper industry often uses pyrite for the production of sulfur dioxide and in the manufacture of sulfuric acid, though not as much as it used to. The El Chino Mine located near Silver City, New Mexico is an open-pit copper mine Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, usually (but not always) from an ore body, vein, or (coal) seam. ... General Name, Symbol, Number Oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16 (VIA), 2, p Density, Hardness 1. ... A falling water droplet Water (from the Anglo-Saxon and Low German wæter) is a colourless, tasteless, and odourless substance that is essential to all known forms of life and is the most universal solvent. ... Acid mine drainage (AMD) refers to the outflow of acidic water from (usually) abandoned mines. ... Sulfuric acid (British English: sulphuric acid), H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ... Sulfur dioxide (or Sulphur dioxide) has the chemical formula SO2. ...

The name pyrite is from the Greek word meaning "fire". This is likely due to the sparks that result when pyrite is struck against steel. This capacity made it popular for use in early firearms such as the wheellock. Steel framework Steel is a metal alloy whose major component is iron, with carbon being the primary alloying material. ... A firearm is a kinetic energy weapon that fires either a single or multiple projectiles propelled at high velocity by the gases produced by action of the rapid confined burning of a propellant. ... Wheellock, also referred to as Wheel-Lock, was the next major development in firearms technology after the matchlock. ...

Pyrite and Marcasite

Pyrite is often confused with the mineral marcasite, a name derived from the Arabic word for pyrite, due to their similar characteristics. Marcasite is a polymorph of pyrite, which means it has the same chemistry as pyrite but a different structure and, therefore, different symmetry and crystal shapes. The marcasite/pyrite polymorph pair is probably the most famous polymorph pair next to the diamond/graphite pair. A marcasite dollar Marcasite, sometimes called white iron pyrite, is iron sulfide (FeS2). ... Arabic (العربية) is a Semitic language, closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic. ... In general, a polymorph is something that can exist in several states or forms. ... A scattering of round-brilliant cut diamonds shows off the many reflecting facets. ... Graphite is one of the allotropes of carbon. ...

Pyrite is often used in jewellery (jewelry) such as necklaces and bracelets, but although the two are similar, marcasite cannot be used in jewellery as it has a tendency to crumble and turn into powder. Adding to the confusion between marcasite and pyrite is the use of the word marcasite as a jewellery trade name. The term is applied to small polished and faceted stones that are inlaid in sterling silver, but even though they are called marcasite, they are actually pyrite. Jewellery (spelled jewelry in American English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... Facets are flat faces on geometric shapes. ... Sterling silver is at least 92. ...

See also

• List of minerals