HALITE: THE POWERPOINT

By: Christopher Vasquez

CHEMICAL FORMULA/COMPOSITION

Halite’s chemical composition is NaCl, or sodium chloride (salt), which explains its salty taste.

Molecular Weight: 58.44 gm

Density: 2.17 (High Specific Gravity)

NAME ORIGIN

Halite comes from the Greek terms halos and lith; halos meaning “salt” and “lith” meaning rock

COLOR

Halite can range from white, clear, light blue, dark blue, and pink colors.

LUSTER/STREAK

Luster: Halite has a very vitreous (glassy) luster.

Streak: When scratched along a streak plate, halite produces a white streak.

HARDNESS

Halite has a hardness of 2.5, meaning that it can be scratched by a fingernail

FRACTURE/CLEAVAGE

Fracture: Halite has a brittle fracture, meaning it can be displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Cleavage: {100} perfect, {010} perfect, {001} perfect

USE FOR HALITE

Halite can be used to control the snow and ice accumulation on the roads.

It is mostly used in chemical factories to create table salt, which is an essential nutrient for humans and most animals.

OTHER INFORMATION

Luminescence: Fluorescent

Magnetism: Nonmagnetic

Diaphaneity: Transparent