Sectility: Difference between revisions

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'''Sectility''' is the ability of a [[mineral]] to be cut into thin pieces with a knife.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/eens211/physprop.htm|title=Physical Properties of Minerals|first=Stephen|last=Nelson|publisher=Tulane University|date=Sep 16, 2013}}></ref> Minerals that are not sectile will be broken into rougher pieces when cut. Metals and paper are '''sectile'''.

Sectility can be used to distinguish minerals of similar appearance, and is a form of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenacity_Tenacity (mineralogy)|tenacity]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.minerals.net/mineral_glossary/sectile.aspx|title = Sectile - Minerals.net Glossary of Terms}}</ref> For example, [[gold]] is sectile but [[pyrite]] ("fool's gold") is not.

Sectility in metals is a result of [[metallic bond|metallic bonding]]ing, where [[valence electron|valence]] (bonding) electrons are [[delocalized electron|delocalized]] and can flow freely between atoms, rather than being shared between specific pairs or groups of atoms, as in [[covalent bond|covalent bonding]]ing.

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