Fichtelite
Encyclopedia
Fichtelite is a rare white mineral found in fossil
ized wood from Bavaria
. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system
. It is a cyclic hydrocarbon
dimethyl-isopropyl-perhydrophenanthrene
, C19H34. It is very soft with a Mohs hardness of 1, the same as talc
. Its specific gravity
is very low at 1.032, just slightly denser than water.
It was first described in 1841 and named for the location, Fichtelgebirge, Bavaria
, Germany
. It has been reported from fossil
ized pine wood from a peat bog and in organic-rich modern marine sediment
s.
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized wood from Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. It crystallizes in the monoclinic crystal system
Crystal system
In crystallography, the terms crystal system, crystal family, and lattice system each refer to one of several classes of space groups, lattices, point groups, or crystals...
. It is a cyclic hydrocarbon
Hydrocarbon
In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons from which one hydrogen atom has been removed are functional groups, called hydrocarbyls....
dimethyl-isopropyl-perhydrophenanthrene
7-Isopropyl-1,4a-dimethyl-dodecahydro-1H-phenanthrene
7-Isopropyl-1,4a-dimethyl-dodecahydro-1H-phenanthrene is an organic compound, classed as a perhydrogenated phenanthrene. One particular diastereomer is found to occur in the mineral Fichtelite: -1,4a-dimethyl,-7-...
, C19H34. It is very soft with a Mohs hardness of 1, the same as talc
Talc
Talc is a mineral composed of hydrated magnesium silicate with the chemical formula H2Mg34 or Mg3Si4O102. In loose form, it is the widely-used substance known as talcum powder. It occurs as foliated to fibrous masses, its crystals being so rare as to be almost unknown...
. Its specific gravity
Specific gravity
Specific gravity is the ratio of the density of a substance to the density of a reference substance. Apparent specific gravity is the ratio of the weight of a volume of the substance to the weight of an equal volume of the reference substance. The reference substance is nearly always water for...
is very low at 1.032, just slightly denser than water.
It was first described in 1841 and named for the location, Fichtelgebirge, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It has been reported from fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
ized pine wood from a peat bog and in organic-rich modern marine sediment
Sediment
Sediment is naturally occurring material that is broken down by processes of weathering and erosion, and is subsequently transported by the action of fluids such as wind, water, or ice, and/or by the force of gravity acting on the particle itself....
s.