Acetamide is an extremely rare organic mineral found primarily in burning coal seams where it forms as a sublimation product. It typically appears as delicate colorless or white hexagonal plates and fibers, but it is notoriously unstable and sensitive to humidity.
Is this acetamide?
5-step field checkRun through these checks against the specimen in your hand. The more boxes tick, the more confident the ID.
- 1Test the hardnessTry to scratch acetamide with a known reference. Acetamide sits at Mohs 1-1.5 — softer than the next harder reference, harder than the previous one.
- 2Check the streakDrag the specimen across an unglazed porcelain plate. Acetamide leaves a white streak.
- 3Read the lusterHold the specimen under a strong light. Acetamide typically shows a vitreous luster.
- 4Match the color rangeCompare against the expected color range: colorless, white, yellowish.
- 5Look at form & habitCrystal system: trigonal. Typical habit: hexagonal plates, needle-like fibers, massive.
Often confused with
Acetamide vs. its common look-alikes — and how to tell them apart in the field.
Often found alongside acetamide
Minerals reported to co-occur with acetamide. Spotting these in float or country rock is a strong cue you are in the right ground.
All properties
- Chemical formula
- CH₃CONH₂
- Mohs hardness
- 1-1.5
- Density
- 1.16 g/cm³
- Streak
- White
- Luster
- Vitreous
- Transparency
- Transparent
- Crystal system
- Trigonal
- Crystal habit
- Hexagonal Plates, Needle-like Fibers, Massive
- Cleavage
- Perfect
- Rarity
- Rare
- Uses
- Collector, Scientific Research
- Host rock
- Burning Coal Seams
- Typical price
- $50-300 per specimen
Where rockhounds find acetamide
Classic worldwide localities
- Ravat, Tajikistan
- Coal seams of Kuznetsk Basin, Russia
Field-hunting tip
Look in burning coal seams country — that is the host setting where acetamide typically forms. If you start seeing urea, sal-ammoniac, sulfur in float, you are in the right ground. Field specimens usually show a hexagonal plates, needle-like fibers, massive habit, so train your eye for that shape before scanning the outcrop.
More acetamide photos
Common questions
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Find acetamide on the map
RockHoundR shows mapped rockhounding spots, access rules, and lets you log every find.
