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Iceland spar

   Also found in: Dictionary/thesaurus, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.12 sec.
Iceland spar, colorless variety of crystallized calcite calcite (kăl`sīt), very widely distributed mineral, commonly white or colorless, but appearing in a great variety of colors owing to
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, characterized by its properties of transparency and double refraction. It is used chiefly in the manufacture of Nicol prisms Nicol prism (nĭk`əl), optical device invented (1828) by William Nicol of Edinburgh.
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, which are essential parts of polarizing microscopes and other optical instruments. The principal deposit is in Iceland, but small quantities are found in other countries, including the United States and Mexico.

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