The mineral pyrite, or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula FeS₂. Pyrite is the most abundant sulfide mineral. Pyrite's metallic luster and pale brass-yellow hue give it a superficial resemblance to gold, hence the well-known nickname of fool's gold. The color has also led to the nicknames brass, brazzle, and Brazil, primarily used to refer to pyrite found in coal. The name pyrite is derived from the Greek πυρίτης λίθος, "stone or mineral which strikes fire", in turn from πῦρ, "fire". In ancient Roman times, this name was applied to several types of stone that would create sparks when struck against steel; Pliny the Elder described one of them as being brassy, almost certainly a reference to what we now call pyrite. By Georgius Agricola's time, c. 1550, the term had become a generic term for all of the sulfide minerals.
| Category | Sulfide mineral |
| Formula, (repeating unit) | FeS 2 |
| Strunz classification | 2.EB.05a |
| Dana classification | 2.12.1.1 |
| Crystal system | Isometric |
| Crystal class | Diploidal (m 3), H-M symbol: (2/m 3) |
| Space group | Pa 3 |
| Unit cell | a |
| Formula mass | 119.98 g/mol |
| Color | Pale brass-yellow reflective, tarnishes darker and iridescent |
| Crystal habit | Cubic, faces may be striated, but also frequently octahedral and pyritohedral. Often inter-grown, massive, radiated, granular, globular, and stalactitic. |
| Twinning | Penetration and contact twinning |
| Cleavage | Indistinct on |
| Fracture | Very uneven, sometimes conchoidal |
| Tenacity | Brittle |
| Mohs scale hardness | 6–6.5 |
| Luster | Metallic, glistening |
| Streak | Greenish-black to brownish-black |
| Diaphaneity | Opaque |
| Specific gravity | 4.95–5.10 |
| Density | 4.8–5 g/cm 3 |
| Fusibility | 2.5–3 to a magnetic globule |
| Solubility | Insoluble in water |
| Other characteristics | paramagnetic |
About Fool's Gold
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Achievement of Fool's Gold
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Top Facts You Did Not Know About Fool's Gold
Firelighting.. Pyrite group.. Transition metal dichalcogenides.. Semiconductor materials.. Alchemical substances.. Sulfide minerals.. Cubic minerals.
Latest information about Fool's Gold updated on July 28 2021.
