Amber is an ancient resin that has been petrified. Scientists believe that the age of amber is more than 40 million years. This is an organic fossil that has acquired density under the influence of environmental conditions and turned into a beautiful bright stone. What characteristics amber has, the density of the mineral and other properties will be discussed in the article.
General physical characteristics
Amber refers to organic minerals that do not form crystals. The chemical formula is C10H16O, the composition contains succinic acid in an amount of 3-8%. In the stone extracted from the ground, there are particles of insects and plants, which is especially valuable in the jewelry industry.
The mineral has the following properties:
- Hardness within 2-2, 5-3.
- Transparency - full, medium, no transparency.
- Glitter like glass.
- Dispersions and pleochroisms do not occur.
- Luminescence - from bluish-white to green-yellow.
- May become electrified under friction.
Amber dissolves in some hydrocarbons under chemical reaction conditions.
Mineral shapes in nature
In nature, the future amber is in the form of formationsany size in these locations:
- on the trunks after the flow of resin on the tree,
- under tree bark, in hollows and other voids.
Subsurface secretions are found in the form of drop-shaped streaks and plates with inclusions and marks of branches, bark, tree trunk.
Excretions from intratrunk sections are concave plates with narrow edges.
In natural conditions, the mineral is covered with a dark crust. Its thickness is from 1 to 4 mm. With incomplete processing, the stone often acquires an interesting color. The weathering crust protects the mineral for many years.
Secondary forms of resinous secretions, which were formed in sea and river waters, in glacial and geological conditions, are smaller than the primary ones.
The mass of found amber pieces can be from a few fractions of a gram to ten or more kilograms.
The largest amber is in the London History Museum, its weight is 15 kg 250 grams.
Density
Professionals and lovers of the mineral are often interested in the question of what is the density of amber. This property should be considered in more detail.
The mineral amber, whose density is 0, 97-1, 10, correlates according to this characteristic with sea water. That is, sea water has the same density. Therefore, in the sea, a stone floats to the top, and in fresh water - vice versa. That is why the mineral is so stable and does not wear off for many millions of years.
Amber pieces float freely in the seaupstairs. Un altered amber has a density in the range from 1 to 1.18 g/cm³. It is measured by weighing in a heavy liquid. In the Lviv region there is amber, the density of which is the highest. It is 1.14. In Ciscarpathia and Primorye, the density of amber is much less. Specialists determine it in the range of 1.04-1.1 g/cm3.
What is the density of amber in modified specimens? This parameter is much higher in weathered minerals. It is 1.08 g/cm³. Directly at the brown weathering crust, the density is 116 g/cm³. The highest density of amber in g/cm3 of weathered specimens was found in stones from Ciscarpathia, it is 1.15-1.22.
What does this value depend on? In some cases, the density of the stone is directly related to the presence of impurities in it. It can be iron, nitrogen, sulfur, aluminum. In stones with iron impurities, the highest density of amber was recorded, in kg / m3 it is 1220. However, in other cases, a directly opposite relationship was noted. When experts measured the density of amber in the vicinity of Lviv, the opposite situation was recorded. From these data, scientists concluded that the density of the mineral is determined by the composition of the resin from which the stone was formed.
Thus, the average density of amber is 1100 kg / m³, this is the value taken by physicists and chemists in their calculations.
Other physical properties
The flame of a candle can melt the mineral, and at a temperature of 250-300 degrees Celsius, it begins to boil. When heated, the stone begins to smolder, burns and emits the smell of resin. It is on this basis that a genuine mineral is distinguished from an artificial one.
In the Middle Ages, they used the property of the mineral to emit an amazing resinous smell when heated and fumigated rooms with it.
Oil, acid and rosin are obtained from amber.
The ability of a mineral to become electrified as a result of friction is known, after which various small particles are attracted to it. The property was first discovered by the ancient Greek scientist Thales of Miletus. Later, when sparks of blue color were discovered during the friction of amber on wool, the mineral was named electron.
Stone has excellent electrical insulation.
Deposits
The largest amber deposit is Palmnikenskoe in the Kaliningrad region. Here in the soil there are extensive deposits of the mineral. Experts believe that this area contains 90% of the world's stone stock, which is more than 50 million years old.
Besides Palmnikensky, there are two other amber sites in the Kaliningrad region: Primorsky and Plyazhevoy. The extraction of the mineral is carried out by a quarry method, by breaking and washing away soil structures with water jets.
On average, each cubic meter of land contains 500-600 grams of mineral, but there are also places with 4.5 kg/m³. The annual output of the mineral is 300-350 tons.
Small deposits found in USA, Canada, Mexico, Romania, Germany, Dominican Republic, Ukraine.
Varieties
In naturethere are a large number of varieties of this amazing stone, their number exceeds 200. The most common:
- Succinite is the most famous of all the species. It contains a large amount of succinic acid. The color of succinite is white, yellow, orange, red.
- Glessite is a brown stone with no transparency.
- Hedanite is a yellow mineral without succinic acid in its composition, has increased fragility due to the smallest amount of oxygen.
- Stantienite is a cloudy black-brown mineral with high brittleness.
- Bockerite is an opaque brown mineral.
- Kiscellite - yellow or olive amber.
- Schraufite is a red or yellow-red mineral.
- Blue amber is the rarest species found in the Dominican Republic. It is very solid, glows in a dark place. This mineral received its blue color due to impurities of volcanic ash.
- Green amber is also a specimen from the Dominican deposit. This color of the mineral is due to inclusions of coal.
Colors and transparency
The color palette of amber is unusually wide - from ivory to black. Even in one piece of a mineral, different degrees of transparency can be combined. Stones of varying degrees of transparency are divided into:
- cloudy;
- translucent;
- bone;
- foamy.
With all the variety, amber has predominantly warm yellow and honey hues. In rare cases, a blue color is fixed - from light sky to cornflower blue.
What determines the price of a mineral?
The price of a mineral depends on the size of the piece and on its color.
The white variety of amber has long been considered the most valuable. Experts say that in such specimens there are the least impurities, and the healing properties are the most excellent.
The Chinese and Japanese value a variety of cherry blossoms called "dragon's blood". Such stones belonged to members of the ruling family.
Emperor of Rome Nero preferred black amber.
The brightest fiery amber is found in Sicily.
The most expensive species is landscape, as well as a mineral interspersed with particles of insects, animals, etc. Amber is known, which contains a lizard inside. Such a copy has a cost of several tens of thousands of dollars. But such examples are quite rare.
In history, red amber was valued, later golden amber was preferred.
In Eastern countries, white varieties of the mineral were considered especially valuable, which were endowed with powerful healing powers.
In our time, a yellow mineral with a uniform color is considered to be of high quality.
Healing properties
Since ancient times, healing properties have been assigned to the stone. This is due to succinic acid, which is a biostimulant.
The mineral was used for such diseases:
- throat diseases;
- thyroid;
- ear pathologies;
- asthma attacks;
- arthritis.
Today, the mineral is also used:
- to eliminate pain in the head;
- in the treatment of angina;
- for joint pain;
- to improve metabolism;
- raising immunity;
- normalize bowel function;
- eliminate inflammation.
There is an opinion that amber cures any tumors.
In alternative medicine, amber objects are used, a crumb of stone added to medicines.
Healers believe that the mineral has a positive effect on the human body and can help with any disease.
Application
The mineral is actively used to create jewelry. Succinic acid is found in some medical preparations, and is also used in the agricultural industry to raise the level of productivity. Chemists use amber to produce enamels and paints. Amber lacquer is used to cover furniture, electrical wiring, and cans. With good insulating properties, amber acts as an insulator in the technical industry.
