Paramelaconite
Paramelaconite is a rare, black-colored copper(I,II) oxide mineral with formula CuCuO3 (or Cu4O3). It was discovered in the Copper Queen Mine in Bisbee, Arizona, about 1890. It was described in 1892 and more fully in 1941. Its name is derived from the Greek word for "near" and the similar mineral melaconite, now known as tenorite. Description and occurrence Paramelaconite is black to black with a slight purple tint in color, and is white with a pinkish brown tint in reflected light. The mineral occurs with massive habit or as crystals up to . A yellow color is formed when the mineral is dissolved in hydrochloric acid, a blue color when dissolved in nitric acid, and a slightly brown precipitate when exposed to ammonium hydroxide. When heated, paramelaconite breaks down into a mixture of tenorite and cuprite. Paramelaconite is a very rare mineral; many specimens purported as such are in fact mixtures of cuprite and tenorite. Paramelaconite forms as a secondary mineral in hydroth ...
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