Mellite Information & Mellite Links at HealthHaven.com

Mellite, also called honeystone, is an unusual mineral being also an organic chemical. Chemically identified as an aluminium salt of mellitic acid; that is, aluminium benzene hexacarboxylate hydrate, with the chemical formula Al₂C₆(COO)₆·16H₂O.^[1]

It is a translucent honey-coloured crystal which can be polished and faceted to form striking gemstones. It crystallizes in the tetragonal system and occurs both in good crystals and as formless masses. It is soft with a Mohs hardness of 2 to 2.5 and has a low specific gravity of 1.6.^[2]^[1]

It was discovered originally in 1789 at Artern in Thuringia in Germany it has subsequently also been found in Russia, Austria, the Czech Republic, and Hungary. It was named from the Greek μέλ˘ι, "melis" for honey, in allusion to its color.^[3]

It is found associated with lignite and is assumed to be formed from plant material with aluminium derived from clay.^[2]

[edit] References

^ ^a ^b http://webmineral.com/data/Mellite.shtml Webmineral data
^ ^a ^b http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/mellite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
^ http://www.mindat.org/min-2638.html

This article about a specific mineral or mineraloid is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[Webmineral-0] ttp://webmineral.com/data/Mellite.shtml Webmineral data

[Handbook-1] ttp://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/mellite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy

[Mindat-2] ttp://www.mindat.org/min-2638.html

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