Chanabayaite is the first recognized triazolate mineral, having the formula . Minor iron admixture is also present. It is also one of a few currently known minerals containing ammine groups, including also

ammineite Ammineite is the first recognized mineral containing ammine groups. Its formula is uCl2(NH3)2 The mineral is chemically pure. It was found in a guano deposit in Chile. At the same site other ammine-containing minerals were later found:Mindat, Shil ...

joanneumite Joanneumite, confirmed as a new mineral in 2012, is the first recognized isocyanurate mineral, with the formula Cu(C3N3O3H2)2(NH3)2. It is also an ammine-containing mineral, a feature shared with ammineite, chanabayaite and shilovite. All the miner ...

and shilovite. All the minerals are rare and were found in a single guano deposit in Chile, called Pabellón de Pica. A similar natural phase, formula , likely a precursor of chanabayaite, is described by Zubkova et al. 2016.Zubkova, N.V., Chukanov, N.V., Pekov, I., and Pushcharovsky, D., 2016. The crystal structure of the natural 1,2,4-triazolate compound . Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials 231(1), 47–53.

Crystal structure

The main features of the crystal structure of chanabayaite are: * copper forms octahedra, part of which share corners * 1,2,4-triazolate anions link the octahedra

Association

Chanabayaite coexists with halite,

, nitratine, salammoniac and paragenetically-unrelated chalcopyrite. Chalcopyrite is present in an

amphibole Amphibole () is a group of inosilicate minerals, forming prism or needlelike crystals, composed of double chain tetrahedra, linked at the vertices and generally containing ions of iron and/or magnesium in their structures. Its IMA symbol is A ...

- and plagioclase-bearing gabbro, that contacts the guano deposit.

Formation

Three suggested processes account for the formation of chanabayaite: * leaching of sodium from the precursor phase * leaching of chlorine from the precursor phase * partial dehydratation of the precursor phase

References

{{reflist Copper minerals Organic minerals Orthorhombic minerals Minerals in space group 74