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Brucite

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Wood's Chrome Mine (Wood's Mine), Texas, Little Britain Township, Lancaster Co., Pennsylvania, USA
© Rob Lavinsky

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Formula:
Mg(OH)
 
2
System:TrigonalColour:White, light greenish, ...
Hardness:2½ - 3
Name:After Archibald Bruce (1777-1818), an early American mineralogist, who first described the species.


Brucite Group

Classification of Brucite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:4/F.03-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:4.FE.05

4 : OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodates)
F : Hydroxides (without V or U)
E : Hydroxides with OH, without H2O; sheets of edge-sharing octahedra
Dana 8th edition ID:6.2.1.1

6 : HYDROXIDES AND OXIDES CONTAINING HYDROXYL
2 : X(OH)2
Hey's CIM Ref.:7.4.8

7 : Oxides and Hydroxides
4 : Oxides of Be, Mg and the alkaline earths
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Type Occurrence of Brucite

Type Locality:Castle Point, Hoboken, Hudson Co., New Jersey, USA
Place of Conservation of Type Material:Natural History Museum, London 1911,730
Year of Discovery:1824

Occurrences of Brucite

Geological Setting:Alteration mineral of periclase in marbles.

Physical Properties of Brucite

Lustre:Vitreous, Waxy, Pearly
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Transparent, Translucent
Comment:Pearly on cleavage
Colour:White, light greenish, grayish, bluish; honey-yellow, brownish red deep brown (manganoan varieties)
Streak:White
Hardness (Mohs):2½ - 3
Tenacity:Sectile
Cleavage:Perfect
On {0001}
Fracture:Fibrous, Micaeous
Comment:Separable plates are flexible, fibers are elastic.
Density (measured):2.39 g/cm3
Density (calculated):2.368 g/cm3

Crystallography of Brucite

Crystal System:Trigonal
Class (H-M):3m (3 2/m) - Hexagonal Scalenohedral
Space Group:P3m1 (P3 2/m 1)
Cell Parameters:a = 3.142(1) Å, c = 4.766(2) Å
Ratio:a:c = 1 : 1.517
Unit Cell Volume:V 40.75 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:1
Morphology:Usually broad tabular crystals {0001}. Often subparallel aggregates of plates. Manganoan variety sometimes acicular [0001]. Commonly foliated massive; fibrous, with fibers separable and elastic; fine granular rare.
Crystal Atlas:
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Brucite no.1 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Brucite no.2 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

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Epitaxial Relationships of Brucite

Epitaxial Minerals:
Pyroaurite
Epitaxi Comments:Brucite enclosing pyroaurite, with brucite {0001} [1010] parallel to pyroaurite {0001}[1010].
X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data: Peaks:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Brucite

Type:Uniaxial (+)
RI values: nω = 1.560 - 1.590 nε = 1.580 - 1.600
Maximum Birefringence:δ = 0.020

Chart shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness) and does not take into account mineral colouration.
Surface Relief:Moderate
Comments:Anomalously biaxial.

Chemical Properties of Brucite

Formula:
Mg(OH)
 
2
Essential elements:H, Mg, O
All elements listed in formula:H, Mg, O
Common Impurities:Fe,Mn,Zn

Relationship of Brucite to other Species

Related to:
  • Brucite Group
    • Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):

    - +
    4.FE.05Amakinite
    (Fe
    2+
     
    		,Mg)(OH)
     
    2
    4.FE.05Portlandite
    Ca(OH)
     
    2
    4.FE.05Pyrochroite
    Mn(OH)
     
    2
    4.FE.05Theophrastite
    Ni(OH)
     
    2
    4.FE.10Bayerite
    Al(OH)
     
    3
    4.FE.10Doyleite
    Al(OH)
     
    3
    4.FE.10Gibbsite
    Al(OH)
     
    3
    4.FE.10Nordstrandite
    Al(OH)
     
    3
    4.FE.15Böhmite
    AlO(OH)
    4.FE.15Lepidocrocite
    γ-Fe
    3+
     
    		O(OH)
    4.FE.20Grimaldiite
    CrO(OH)
    4.FE.20Heterogenite
    CoO(OH)
    4.FE.25Feitknechtite
    Mn
    3+
     
    		O(OH)
    4.FE.25Lithiophorite
    (Al,Li)MnO
     
    2
    		(OH)
     
    2
    4.FE.30Quenselite
    PbMnO
     
    2
    		(OH)
    4.FE.35Ferrihydrite
    Fe
     
    5
    		O
     
    3
    		(OH)
     
    9
    4.FE.40Feroxyhyte
    Fe
    3+
     
    		O(OH)
    4.FE.40Vernadite
    (Mn
    4+
     
    		,Fe
    3+
     
    		,Ca,Na)(O,OH)
     
    2
    		 · nH
     
    2
    		O
    4.FE.45Quetzalcoatlite
    Zn
     
    6
    		Cu
     
    3
    		(TeO
     
    6
    		)
     
    2
    		(OH)
     
    6
    		·Ag
     
    x
    		Pb
     
    y
    		Cl
     
    x+2y
    Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:

    - +
    7.4.1Bromellite
    BeO
    7.4.2Behoite
    Be(OH)
     
    2
    7.4.3Clinobehoite
    Be(OH)
     
    2
    7.4.4Chrysoberyl
    BeAl
     
    2
    		O
     
    4
    7.4.5Magnesiotaaffeite-2N’2S
    Mg
     
    3
    		Al
     
    8
    		BeO
     
    16
    7.4.6Magnesiotaaffeite-6N’3S
    (Mg,Fe,Zn)
     
    2
    		Al
     
    6
    		BeO
     
    12
    7.4.7Periclase
    MgO
    7.4.9Spinel
    MgAl
     
    2
    		O
     
    4
    7.4.10Meixnerite
    Mg
     
    6
    		Al
     
    2
    		(OH)
     
    18
    		·4H
     
    2
    		O
    7.4.11Lime
    CaO
    7.4.12Portlandite
    Ca(OH)
     
    2
    7.4.13Mayenite
    Ca
     
    12
    		Al
     
    14
    		O
     
    33
    7.4.14Hydrocalumite
    Ca
     
    2
    		Al(OH)
     
    7
    		·2H
     
    2
    		O
    7.4.15Marokite
    CaMn
     
    2
    		O
     
    4
    7.4.16Ranciéite
    (Ca,Mn)Mn
     
    4
    		O
     
    9
    		·3H
     
    2
    		O
    7.4.17Hollandite
    Ba(Mn
    4+
     
    		,Mn
    2+
     
    		)
     
    8
    		O
     
    16
    7.4.18Romanèchite
    (Ba,H
     
    2
    		O)
     
    2
    		Mn
     
    5
    		O
     
    10
    7.4.19Todorokite
    (Mn,Mg,Ca,Ba,K,Na)
     
    2
    		Mn
     
    3
    		O
     
    12
    		·3H
     
    2
    		O

    Other Names for Brucite

    Synonyms:
    Amianthoid MagnesiteAmianthusHydrate of MagnesiaMonoklinoëdrisches MagnesiahydratNative Magnesia
    Shepardite (of Brooke)Texalite
    Other Languages:
    Catalan:Brucita
    Dutch:Bruciet
    French:Hydrate de magnésie
    German:Brucit
    Magnesia-Hydrat
    Talk-Hydrat
    Italian:Brucite
    Lithuanian:Brusitas
    Polish:Brucyt
    Portuguese:Brucita
    Russian:Брусит
    Serbian (Cyrillic Script):Бруцит
    Spanish:Brucita
    Ukrainian:Брусит
    Varieties:
    ManganbruciteNemalite

    Other Information

    Electrical:Pyroelectric
    Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

    References for Brucite

    Reference List:Bruce (1814), American Min. Journal: 1: 26 (as Native Magnesia).

    Pierce (1818), American Journal of Science: 1: 54 (as Amianthus).

    Nuttall (1821), American Journal of Science: 4: 18.

    Whitney (1849), Joural Soc. Nat. Hist. Boston: 36.

    Hermann (1861), J. pr. Chem.: 82: 368.

    Hintze (1910): 1(2A): 2086.

    Aminoff (1919), Geol. För. Förh.: 41: 405.

    Aminoff (1921), Zs. Kr.: 56: 506.

    Garrido (1936), Zs. Kr.: 95: 189.

    Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 636-639.

    Isetti G. – (1965) Ricerche sulla struttura della Brucite. Periodico di Mineralogia – Roma pp. 327-335.

    American Mineralogist (1994): 79: 193-196.

    Xia, X., Weidner, D.J., and Zhao, H. (1998) Equation of state of brucite: Single-crystal Brillouin spectroscopy study and polycrystalline pressure-volume-temperature measurement. American Mineralogist: 83: 68-74.

    Internet Links for Brucite

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  • Look for Brucite on Mineralien Atlas
  • Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project
  • American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database
  • Search for Brucite in the Natural History Museum (London) online catalogue
  • Brucite details from Handbook of Mineralogy (PDF)
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    Localities for Brucite

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