Editing Halite (section)

{{short description|Mineral form of sodium chloride}}
{{Redirect|Rock salt|edible coarse salt|Kosher salt|the cubic crystal structure known as the "rock-salt" structure|Cubic crystal system#Rock-salt structure}}
{{other uses}}
{{Infobox mineral
| name        = Halite
| category    = [[Halide mineral]]
| boxwidth    =
| boxbgcolor  =#e8e8e8
| image       = Halit (NaCl) - Kopalnia soli Wieliczka, Polska.jpg
| imagesize   = 260px
| caption     = Halite from the [[Wieliczka salt mine]], Małopolskie, Poland
| formula     = NaCl
| IMAsymbol   = Hl<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Warr|first=L.N.|date=2021|title=IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols|journal=Mineralogical Magazine|volume=85|issue=3|pages=291–320|doi=10.1180/mgm.2021.43|bibcode=2021MinM...85..291W|s2cid=235729616|doi-access=free}}</ref>
| molweight   = 58.433{{nbsp}}g/mol
| strunz      = 3.AA.20
| system      = [[Cubic (crystal system)|Cubic]]<ref name=geocomhalite>[https://geology.com/minerals/halite.shtml Geology.com: Halite]</ref>
| class       = Hexoctahedral (m{{overline|3}}m) <br />[[H-M symbol]]: (4/m {{overline|3}} 2/m)
| symmetry    = ''F''m{{overline|3}}m
| unit cell   = {{nowrap|a {{=}} 5.6404(1) Å;}} {{nowrap|Z {{=}} 4}}
| color       = Colorless or white when pure. Impurities produce any color but usually yellow, gray, black, brown, red (Depends on isotopes and purity for various colours)<ref name=geocomhalite />
| habit       = Predominantly cubes and in massive sedimentary beds, but also granular, fibrous and compact
| twinning    =
| cleavage    = Perfect {001}, three directions cubic
| fracture    = Conchoidal
| tenacity    = Brittle
| mohs        = 2.0–2.5
| luster      = Vitreous
| refractive  = {{nowrap|n {{=}} 1.544}}
| opticalprop = Isotropic
| birefringence =
| pleochroism =
| streak      = White
| gravity     = 2.17
| density     =
| melt        = 800.7{{nbsp}}°C
| fusibility  =
| diagnostic  =
| solubility  = Water-soluble
| diaphaneity = Transparent to Translucent 
| other       = Salty flavor, may be fluorescent
| references  = <ref name=Handbook>{{cite web |url=http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/halite.pdf |title=Halite |website=Handbook of Mineralogy |access-date=16 April 2018 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100628052809/http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/halite.pdf |archive-date=June 28, 2010}}</ref><ref name=Mindat>{{cite web |url=http://www.mindat.org/min-1804.html |title=Halite |publisher=[[Mindat.org]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805033506/http://www.mindat.org/min-1804.html |archive-date=2011-08-05}}</ref><ref name=Webmin>{{cite web |url=http://webmineral.com/data/Halite.shtml |title=Halite |publisher=Webmineral |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041124083935/http://webmineral.com/data/Halite.shtml |archive-date=2004-11-24}}</ref><ref name=Haynes>{{cite book |editor=Haynes, William M. |year=2011 |title=CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics |edition=92nd |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1439855119 |title-link=CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics}}</ref>
}}

'''Halite''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|h|æ|l|aɪ|t|,_|ˈ|h|eɪ|l|aɪ|t}} {{respell|HAL|yte|,_|HAY|lyte}}),<ref>{{cite Merriam-Webster|halite}}</ref><ref>{{cite Dictionary.com|halite}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://dictionary.infoplease.com/halite |title=Halite |website=[[Random House Unabridged Dictionary]] |year=1997 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002235932/http://dictionary.infoplease.com/halite |archive-date=2015-10-02}}</ref> commonly known as '''rock salt''', is a type of [[salt]], the [[mineral]] (natural) form of [[sodium chloride]] ([[sodium|Na]][[chlorine|Cl]]). Halite forms [[Cubic (crystal system)|isometric crystals]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Bonewitz |first=Ronald Louis |title=Rocks and Minerals |date=2012 |publisher=[[DK Publishing]] |isbn=978-0-7566-9042-7 |page=110}}</ref> The mineral is typically colorless or white, but may also be light blue, dark blue, purple, pink, red, orange, yellow or gray depending on inclusion of other materials, [[impurities]], and structural or isotopic abnormalities in the crystals.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Sonnenfeld |first=Peter |title=The color of rock salt—A review |journal=Sedimentary Geology |date=January 1995 |volume=94 |issue=3–4 |pages=267–276 |doi=10.1016/0037-0738(94)00093-A |bibcode=1995SedG...94..267S}}</ref> It commonly occurs with  other [[evaporite]] deposit minerals such as several of the [[Sulfate mineral|sulfates]], [[Halide mineral|halides]], and [[Borate mineral|borates]]. The name ''halite'' is derived from the Ancient Greek word for "salt", ἅλς (''háls'').<ref name=Handbook />