Constituent
- Name
- Diopside
- IMA name
- Diopside
- Class
- silicate mineral
- Compound type
- inosilicate
- Relevance
- main - major
- Arrangement
- heterogeneous in multi-phases
- Mass fraction
- 9.01
- Formula
- $CaMg.[SiO_3]_2$
- Chemical formula
- CaMgSi2O6
- Elemental formula
- Ca Mg Si2 O6
- Isotope mixture type
- terrestrial abundance
- Composition comments
- Diopside name used for Ca = 90-100%, Mg = 50-100%, Fe = 1-Mg = 50-0%
- Oxides
-
Formula $CaO$ $MgO$ $SiO_{2}$ Mass fraction (%) 25.9 18.61 55.49
Strunz
- Class
- silicates (09)
- Division
- inosilicate (09.D)
- Family
- with 2-periodic single chains, Si2O6; pyroxene family (09.DA)
- Code
- 09.DA.15
Dana
- Major class
- silicates (VIII)
- Class
- inosilicate single-width unbranched chains, w=1 (65)
- Type
- with chains P=2 (65.01)
- Group
- C2/c clinopyroxenes (Ca clinopyroxenes) (65.01.03a)
- Code
- 65.01.03a.01
- Phase type
- crystalline
- Crystal system
- monoclinic
- Crystal class
- prismatic
- Crystal class symbol
- 2/m (C2h)
- Crystal spacegroup
- C2/c
- Texture
- polycrystalline
- Molar mass
- 216.55 $g/mol$
- Density
- 3.25 - 3.55 $g/cm^3$
- Refringence type
- biaxial
- Refringence sign
- positive
- Birefringence
- 0.0290 - 0.0300
- Refraction index $n_{\alpha}$
- 1.663 - 1.699
- Refraction index $n_{\beta}$
- 1.671 - 1.705
- Refraction index $n_{\gamma}$
- 1.693 - 1.728
- Dispersion V
- weak to distinct, r>v
- Color
- colorless, blue, brown, green, gray
- Diaphaneity
- transparent to translucent
- Luster
- vitreous