Pruune

Pruune is a fictional mineral described in speculative fiction and tabletop role-playing settings. In these works, pruune is valued for its dual optical and energetic properties and is not a real substance.

Origin and occurrence: Pruune is said to form in hydrothermal veins within ultramafic rocks of desert planets and remote asteroids. It was first described in the Nebula Frontier canon in the mid-22nd century by field researchers exploring Veridia III. In-universe geology often links pruune formation to high-pressure, low-temperature gradients and the presence of rare earth elements.

Physical properties: Pruune is a dense, brittle mineral that forms prismatic crystals. It exhibits pale blue to violet photoluminescence under ultraviolet light and shows moderate electrical conductivity when doped with lithium or tungsten. Chemically, it is described as a complex silicate with trace metals, stable to temperatures up to several hundred degrees Celsius.

Laboratory synthesis and processing: In fiction, natural pruune is rare and mined in limited quantities. Synthetic pruune can be produced via high-temperature solid-state reactions or hydrothermal synthesis, and variants with enhanced glow or conductivity are described through dopant chemistry.

Applications and implications: Pruune is depicted as an energy-dense material suitable for compact power cells, photonic circuits, and starship power systems. Its luminescence makes it useful in display and signaling technologies. In some stories, pruune mining raises environmental or political concerns, leading to regulatory regimes and trade controls.

Etymology and semantics: The name pruune is said to derive from a combination of in-universe terms for light and mineral phases. It is used as a proper noun and occasionally as a generic term for luminous minerals in fictional lexicons.