Click on a letter above to view the list of gems.  

           


Mellite
Current inventory:  0 gems
 

Mellite

Chemistry:  Al2[C6(COO)6] ·16(H2O)
[Aluminum Mellitate (Benzene Hexacarboxylate) Hydrate]

Discovered in 1789IMA status: Valid (pre-IMA; Grandfathered).
Mellite is named from the Greek word "melis" for "honey," in allusion to the typical color.

 

Classification

   

   

Mineral Classification:

Organic Compounds

Strunz 8th Ed. ID:

9/A.02-10

Nickel-Strunz 10th Ed. ID:

10.AC.05

 

10 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
A : Salts of organic acids
C : Benzine Salts

Related to:

Mellite - Abelsonite (?) Series

 

 

Crystal Data

   

   

Crystallography:

Tetragonal - Ditetragonal Dipyramidal

Crystal Habit:

Crystals are dipyramidal, also prismatic, to 7.5 cm; as nodules and coatings, fine-grained massive.

Twinning:

None

 

 

Physical Properties

   

 

Cleavage:

[023] Imperfect

Fracture:

Conchoidal

Tenacity:

Slightly Sectile

Hardness (Mohs):

2.0 - 2.5

Density:

1.55 - 1.65 (g/cm3)

Luminescence:

Pale yellow to blue under LW and SW UV

Radioactivity:

Not Radioactive

Other:

Pyroelectric. Insoluble in water and alcohol but soluble in HNO3.

 

 

Optical Properties

   

   

Color:

Brown, Brownish White, Colorless, Honey-Yellow, Golden Brown

Transparency:

Transparent to Translucent

Luster:

Vitreous, Resinous, Greasy

Refractive Index:

1.511 - 1.539  Uniaxial ( - ); may be anomalously Biaxial

Birefringence:

0.0280

Dispersion:

None

Pleochroism:

Weak; O = yellowish brown, E = yellow

 

 

Occurances

   

   

Geological Setting:

An uncommon secondary mineral in brown coal and lignite deposits, aluminum typically derived from clay.

Type Locality:

Artern, Unstrut Valley, Thuringia, Germany

Year Discovered:

1789

View mineral photos:

Mellite Mineral Photos and Locations

 

 

More Information

   

   

 

Mindat.org
Webmineral.com

 

 


Mellite is a very rare secondary mineral found associated with brown coal and lignite deposits. It is an organic compound as it is derived from coal. Its name is from the Greek word "melis" for "honey" in allusion to its typical color although it is also found colorless and in shades of brown.

Mellite is only found in a few locations including Germany, from Artern, Thuringia, and near Bitterfeld, Saxony-Anhalt. At Lusice, near Bílina, Valchov, and Boskovice, Czech Republic. Large crystals from the Csordakút mine, Tatabánya, Hungary. From Malevka, Bogoroditsk district, southeast of Tula, Russia.
 

  
Mellite gems for sale:

We have not photographed our Mellite gems. Please check back soon.
 

 

I love Sarah