Fool’s gold is a naturally occurring iron disulphide mineral. It is also called pyrites. Because of its brassy-yellow colour with a brilliant lustre, it is often mistaken for gold and has been given the nick name, ‘fool’s gold’. Pyrites may be distinguished from gold by its much higher degree of hardness and brittleness.
Pyrite has been named after the Greek word ‘pyr’ (fire) because it emits sparks when struck by steel. Nodules of pyrite have been found in prehistoric burial mounds which suggest that it was used as a primitive means for producing fire.
Pure pyrite contains 46.67 percent iron and 53.33 percent sulphur. This mineral is widely distributed and occurs under extremely varied conditions of mineral formation. It occurs in large deposits in contact metamorphic rocks. Large deposits of pyrite are found in Spain, the United States, Italy, Norway, Japan, Canada, Portugal and Czechoslovakia.
Pyrite is an important source of sulphuric acid. It is also used commercially as a source of sulphur dioxide. It contains such a high percentage of sulphur that it will sustain its own combustion without the aid of an external heat source. Because of the availability of much better sources of iron, pyrite is not used as an iron ore.