Orinite

Orinite is a fictional mineral described in science fiction literature and role-playing game settings as a rare, high-temperature resistant oxide-silicate. It is valued for its supposed stability and unusual electronic properties.

In depictions, orinite is a complex oxide-silicate with a variable composition, often described as a doped silicate (M2+)xSiO4 with interstitial oxides, where M denotes transition metals such as iron, nickel, or cobalt. The mineral is said to crystallize in orthorhombic or hexagonal systems, with a metallic luster and a dark blue-gray color. Reported Mohs hardness ranges from 6 to 8, and density is given as 4.5 to 7.0 g/cm3 depending on doping.

Occurrence and formation is described in fiction as forming under high-pressure, high-temperature conditions in ultramafic rocks and hydrothermal systems, or being produced synthetically in laboratory high-pressure furnaces.

Properties and uses usually include thermally stable, chemically inert behavior, with claims that it can exhibit semiconducting or superconducting properties when doped with certain elements. In narratives, orinite is used for energy storage, superconducting cables, armor, and spacecraft hulls, reflecting its imagined resilience and functional versatility.

Name and etymology: The name is said to derive from Orin, a fictional researcher associated with several in-universe discoveries, chosen to evoke endurance and origin.