Hauyne

Haüyne
Hauyne from Mayen, Eifel Mts, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany
General
CategoryTectosilicate minerals, feldspathoid group, sodalite group
FormulaNa3Ca(Si3Al3)O12(SO4)
IMA symbolHyn
Strunz classification9.FB.10 (10 ed)
8/J.11-30 (8 ed)
Dana classification76.2.3.3
Crystal systemIsometric
Crystal classHextetrahedral (43m)
H-M symbol (4 3m)
Space groupP43n
Unit cella = 9.08 – 9.13 Å; Z = 2
Identification
Formula mass1,032.43 g/mol
ColorBlue, white, gray, yellow, green, pink
Crystal habitDodecahedral or pseudo-octahedral
TwinningCommon on {111}
CleavageDistinct on {110}
FractureUneven to conchoidal
TenacityBrittle
Mohs scale hardness5 to 6
LusterVitreous to greasy
StreakVery pale blue to white
DiaphaneityTransparent to translucent
Specific gravity2.4 to 2.5
Optical propertiesIsotropic
Refractive indexn = 1.494 to 1.509
BirefringenceNone, isotropic
PleochroismNone, isotropic
Fusibility4.5
SolubilityGelatinises in acids
Other characteristicsMay fluoresce orange to pink under longwave ultraviolet light
References

Hauyne or haüyne, also called hauynite or haüynite (/ɑːˈwnt/ ah-WEE-nyte), old name Azure spar,:571 is a rare tectosilicate sulfate mineral with endmember formula Na3Ca(Si3Al3)O12(SO4). As much as 5 wt % K2O may be present, and also H2O and Cl. It is a feldspathoid and a member of the sodalite group. Hauyne was first described in 1807 from samples discovered in Vesuvian lavas in Monte Somma, Italy, and was named in 1807 by Brunn-Neergard for the French crystallographer René Just Haüy (1743–1822). It is sometimes used as a gemstone.