W. Haidinger distinguished marcasite from pyrite in 1845. Although the two compounds have the same chemical make-up (FeS2), there are differences in the crystallization. Marcasite was named after an old province in northeastern Persia. Marcasite and pyrite are made in similar ways, but marcasite is found in clay or limestone deposits and around organic remains, while pyrite forms in rocks and slates. Marcasite is relatively rare, but can be found in the U.S., Mexico, France, Peru, China, and Russia. Since it is a very attractive mineral, maracasite is mostly used in jewelry making.
IUPAC name:
Iron persulfide
Citation of a publication:
Acta Chemica Scandinavica 27(1973) p2791; Brostigen, G, Kjekshus, A,
Romming, C
Lab name:
Common molecules
Sample provider:
Obtained from the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database
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