Gold is one of the most malleable and ductile metals on earth. As elements go, it's rather soft so a gold nugget can easily be scratched with a pocket knife. • Gold is golden colour and Pyrite is brass like shiny colour. The mineral pyrite , or iron pyrite, also known as fool's gold, is an iron sulfide with the chemical formula FeS2 (iron (II) disulfide). Most of the people used to confuse pyrite as gold due to this reason. Pyrite received that nickname because it is worth virtually nothing, but has an appearance that "fools" people into believing that it is gold. • Gold does not react with water, moisture or other corrosive reagents. • Gold is a malleable and ductile structural metal. Pyrite has a darker yellow color to it that's similar to brass, while gold has a vibrant yellow color that's highly reflective to the surrounding light. Gold, on the other hand, tends to bend rather than break. The main difference between gold and pyrite is that gold is a chemical element having the symbol Au whereas pyrite is a mineral having the chemical formula FeS2. And I have some iron pyrite floating around here. Therefore, when panning out the minerals, gold will settle down in the bottom of the pan while Pyrite will move freely on the top of the pan. Gold vs Pyrite Summary. Pyrite, on the other hand, is a mineral. I’ve had a lot of people ask questions about various pyrites, you know, I’ve been showing you this one, this Chalcopyrite gold ore piece. Although they look similar, gold and pyrite are very distinct substances. It has a yellowish colour when in mass, but black, ruby or purple in colour when is divided into fine particles. Pyrite and gold are two different naturally occurring minerals that have nearly similar colouration in appearance. These two compounds are entirely different though they are slightly similar in color. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners who may combine it with other information that you’ve provided to them or that they’ve collected from your use of their services. • When you rub a piece of gold and a piece of pyrite against white porcelain, gold leaves a pure yellow residue and pyrite leaves a greenish-black powdery residue on the porcelain surface. Gold has a golden to yellow color. Therefore, there are different methods to differentiate gold from Pyrite. • Gold is mostly used in jewelry. Gold is a chemical element in the periodic table. Most gold particles found in streams have slightly rounded edges, but be careful - some … You can see how different the gold vein is from the pyrite above. Pyrite is much harder than gold, ranking 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs scale. Résumé de l'or vs pyrite. However, when you closely monitor the color of these two materials, gold and pyrite, the difference between gold and pyrite can be understood easily. Pyrite, on the other hand, is a mineral. The chemical formula for Pyrite is FeS2 (Iron sulphide). You can understand why it's called "fool's gold.". Pyrite and gold are two different naturally occurring minerals that have nearly similar colouration in appearance. How you can tell the difference. Pyrite, like this from the Victoria Mine in Rioja, Spain, often forms in sharply defined cubes. Pyrite has the advantage here; it's a bit harder and comes in at 6 to 6.5 on the Mohs' scale. Pyrite is also used as a gemstone. Pyrite is diamagnetic semi – conductor. We use cookies to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. There is a notable difference in their shine too. Nevertheless, closer observation reveals that they do not have similar colours. Aurum (Au-79 gmol-1) is the chemical name for gold; it is a Latin word. The most distinct difference between gold and pyrite is in their hardness. Originally filmed in 2008. It is one of the most expensive metals in the world. Therefore, it occurs as a free element in nature. So far no account has been taken of the loss of gold which is contained in pyrites, as it has been assumed that these are saved by concentration if they are valuable, and this subject is dealt with in earlier. B) Color: Pyrite has a brassy color. It has shiny surfaces that catch the reflection of the sun. Nevertheless, closer observation reveals that they do not have similar colours. Therefore, it shows +1, +3 and +5 oxidation sates. Gold is malleable, unlike pyrite which is brittle. Gold is a metal that is very unreactive. The mineral can take any shape when flattened and is easily scratched with a pocket knife. Both of these minerals have their unique commercial uses in many ways. In early days, this had been used to make fire by striking against metal or any other hard material. Pyrite is noticeably harder with … Nevertheless, Pyrite reacts with many of the chemical reagents. A vein of gold is seen here in a hydrothermal sample of quartz taken from an unspecified mine at or near Grass Valley in northeast-central California. Gold only ranks at 2.5 to 3. Weird & Wacky, Copyright © 2020 HowStuffWorks, a division of InfoSpace Holdings, LLC, a System1 Company. It has the cubic close-packed crystal structure. Pyrite is harder than gold. You consent to our cookies if you continue to use our website. Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images, Information about the device's operating system, Information about other identifiers assigned to the device, The IP address from which the device accesses a client's website or mobile application, Information about the user's activity on that device, including web pages and mobile apps visited or used, Information about the geographic location of the device when it accesses a website or mobile application. This article explains about those features and identification methods in detail. Gold and pyrite may seem similar because of their appearance, but the reality couldn’t be further from the truth. Gold possesses shiny gold colour while Pyrite possesses a brass like yellowish colour. There are very simple ways to distinguish gold from Pyrite. Néanmoins, une observation plus approfondie révèle qu'ils n'ont pas de couleurs similaires. Gold possesses shiny gold colour while Pyrite possesses a brass like yellowish colour. Even individuals without any past experience will likely see a noticeable difference between the two minerals when they're placed side-by-side. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Holding a piece of gold under the light will reveal a brigh… There are distinct differences between gold and pyrite that are discernable with the human eye. Pyrite or iron pyrite is also used to name Iron sulphide. Gold is not present in every part of the world; its abundance is very low. Pyrite shatters and crumbles if dealt a hard blow. Main Difference – Gold vs Pyrite. "Fool's gold" is a common nickname for pyrite. Pyrite is a covalent chemical compound. • Gold has round edges and Pyrite has sharp edges on the surface. Pyrite also contains high amount of iron. Also, read: Difference Between Coal and Gold. In other words, gold is denser than Pyrite (Gold- 19.30 g•cm−3; at 0 °C, 101.325 kPa, Pyrite- 4.8–5.0 g/cm3). Filed Under: Chemistry Tagged With: Au, Aurum, FeS2, Fool's gold, Gold, gold definition, Iron sulphide, pyrite, pyrite and gold, pyrite definition. It is the first simple method of distinguishing one from another. This article analyses the difference between gold and pyrite, the two minerals that some find difficult to distinguish due to their color. The color is also a good indicator between the two. While gold has a specific gravity of 15.6/19.3, pyrite has 5.0. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy: Legal. Gold is made of gold atoms whereas Pyrite consists of Ferrous and Sulfur molecules.