Sulfosalts

Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula , where
*A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium
*B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and rarely germanium, or metals like tin and rarely vanadium
*X is sulfur or rarely selenium and/or tellurium.

The Strunz classification includes the sulfosalts in a ''sulfides and sulfosalts'' superclass. A group which have similar appearing formulas are the sulfarsenides (for example cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS). In sulfarsenides the arsenic substitutes for sulfide anions whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for a metal cation.Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius S. Hurlbut (1985). ''Manual of Mineralogy'', 20th ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York .

About 200 sulfosalt minerals are known. Examples include:

File:Proustite (long prismatic crystal) - Chanarcillo, Copiapo Province, Atacama Region, Chile.jpg, As illustrated by this specimen of proustite, sulfosalt minerals are often deeply colored.

* type
** Pyrargyrite
** Proustite
**Tetrahedrite
** Tennantite
* type
** Enargite
** Sulvanite
** Samsonite
**Geocronite
**Gratonite
* type
** Bournonite
**Seligmannite
** Aikinite
* type
** Boulangerite
** Matildite
** Smithite
**Chalcostibite
** Emplectite
** Teallite
* type
** Ramdohrite
** Jamesonite
** Cosalite
* type
**Andorite
** Lindstromite
* type
** Zinkenite
**Berthierite
** Cylindrite

Nickel–Strunz Classification -02- Sulfosalts

IMA-CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme (Mills et al., 2009). This list uses the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (mindat.org, 10 ed, pending publication).

*Abbreviations:
**"*" - discredited (IMA/CNMNC status).
**"?" - questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status).
**"REE" - Rare-earth element (Sc, Y, La, Ce, Pr, Nd, Pm, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu)
**"PGE" - Platinum-group element (Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, Pt)
**03.C Aluminofluorides, 06 Borates, 08 Vanadates (04.H V ^{,6/sup> Vanadates), 09 Silicates:
***Neso: insular (from Greek νῆσος ''nēsos'', island)
***Soro: grouping (from Greek σωρός ''sōros'', heap, mound (especially of corn))
***Cyclo: ring (from Greek κύκλος ''kyklos'', wheel, ring, round)
***Ino: chain (from Greek ἴς enitive: ἰνός ''inos'' fibre)
***Phyllo: sheet (from Greek φύλλον ''phyllon'', leaf)
***Tekto: three-dimensional framework (from Greek stem τεκτ- ''tekt-'' in words having to do with carpentry)
*Nickel–Strunz code scheme: NN.XY.##x
**NN: Nickel–Strunz mineral class number
**X: Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter
**Y: Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter
**##x: Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number, x add-on letter}

Class: sulfosalts

* 02.G Sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfobismuthites
** 02.G: IMA2007-010
** 02.GA Neso-sulfarsenites, etc., without additional S: 05 Proustite, 05 Pyrargyrite; 10 Xanthoconite, 10 Pyrostilpnite; 15 Samsonite; 20 Wittichenite, 20 Skinnerite, 25 Malyshevite, 25 Lisiguangite, 25 Muckeite, 25 Lapieite; 30 Aktashite, 30 Nowackiite, 30 Gruzdevite; 35 Laffittite; 40 Stalderite, 40 Routhierite