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Native element minerals are those
elements Element or elements may refer to: Science * Chemical element, a pure substance of one type of atom * Heating element, a device that generates heat by electrical resistance * Orbital elements, parameters required to identify a specific orbit of o ...
that occur in nature in uncombined form with a distinct mineral structure. The elemental class includes
metals A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
, intermetallic compounds,
alloys An alloy is a mixture of chemical elements of which at least one is a metal. Unlike chemical compounds with metallic bases, an alloy will retain all the properties of a metal in the resulting material, such as electrical conductivity, ductilit ...
, metalloids, and
nonmetals In chemistry, a nonmetal is a chemical element that generally lacks a predominance of metallic properties; they range from colorless gases (like hydrogen) to shiny solids (like carbon, as graphite). The electrons in nonmetals behave differentl ...
. The Nickel–Strunz classification system also includes the naturally occurring phosphides,
silicide A silicide is a type of chemical compound that combines silicon and a (usually) more electropositive element. Silicon is more electropositive than carbon. Silicides are structurally closer to borides than to carbides. Similar to borides and carb ...
s,
nitride In chemistry, a nitride is an inorganic compound of nitrogen. The "nitride" anion, N3- ion, is very elusive but compounds of nitride are numerous, although rarely naturally occuring. Some nitrides have a find applications, such as wear-resistant ...
s,
carbide In chemistry, a carbide usually describes a compound composed of carbon and a metal. In metallurgy, carbiding or carburizing is the process for producing carbide coatings on a metal piece. Interstitial / Metallic carbides The carbides of the ...
s, and
arsenide In chemistry, an arsenide is a compound of arsenic with a less electronegative element or elements. Many metals form binary compounds containing arsenic, and these are called arsenides. They exist with many stoichiometries, and in this respect a ...
s.


Elements

The following elements occur as native element minerals or alloys:


Nickel–Strunz Classification -01- Native elements

This list uses the Classification of Nickel–Strunz (
mindat.org Mindat.org is a non-commercial online database, claiming to be the largest mineral database and mineralogical reference website on the Internet. It is used by professional mineralogists, geologists, and amateur mineral collectors alike. The w ...
, 10 ed, pending publication). ;Abbreviations: * "*" – discredited (IMA/CNMNC status). * "?" – questionable/doubtful (IMA/CNMNC status). * "REE" –
Rare-earth element The rare-earth elements (REE), also called the rare-earth metals or (in context) rare-earth oxides or sometimes the lanthanides (yttrium and scandium are usually included as rare earths), are a set of 17 nearly-indistinguishable lustrous silv ...
(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 Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
νησος nēsos, island) ** Soro: grouping (from Greek σωροῦ sōros, heap, mound (especially of corn)) ** Cyclo: ring ** Ino: chain (from Greek ις enitive: ινος ''inos'' fibre) ** Phyllo: sheet (from Greek φύλλον ''phyllon'', leaf) ** Tecto: three-dimensional framework ;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: native elements

* 01.A Metals and intermetallic alloys ** 01.AA Copper-cupalite family: 05
native copper Native copper is an uncombined form of copper that occurs as a natural mineral. Copper is one of the few metallic elements to occur in native form, although it most commonly occurs in oxidized states and mixed with other elements. Native copp ...
, 05
lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...
, 05
native gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile m ...
, 05
native silver Silver is a chemical element with the symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical cond ...
, 05
nickel Nickel is a chemical element with symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel is a hard and ductile transition metal. Pure nickel is chemically reactive but large pieces are slow to ...
, 05
aluminium Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It ...
; 10a
auricupride Auricupride is a natural alloy that combines copper and gold. Its chemical formula is Cu3Au. The alloy crystallizes in the cubic crystal system in the L12 structure type and occurs as malleable grains or platey masses. It is an opaque yellow with ...
, 10b tetra-auricupride; 15 novodneprite, 15 khatyrkite, 15 anyuiite; 20 cupalite, 25 hunchunite ** 01.AB Zinc-brass family (Cu-Zn alloys): 05
cadmium Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of ...
, 05
zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It is the first element in group 12 (IIB) of the periodic t ...
, 05
titanium Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. Found in nature only as an oxide, it can be reduced to produce a lustrous transition metal with a silver color, low density, and high strength, resistant to corrosion in ...
*, 05
rhenium Rhenium is a chemical element with the symbol Re and atomic number 75. It is a silvery-gray, heavy, third-row transition metal in group 7 of the periodic table. With an estimated average concentration of 1 part per billion (ppb), rhenium is one ...
*; 10a
brass Brass is an alloy of copper (Cu) and zinc (Zn), in proportions which can be varied to achieve different mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. It is a substitutional alloy: atoms of the two constituents may replace each other wit ...
*, 10a zhanghengite, 10b
danbaite Danbaite is a native element mineral of copper and zinc Zinc is a chemical element with the symbol Zn and atomic number 30. Zinc is a slightly brittle metal at room temperature and has a shiny-greyish appearance when oxidation is removed. It ...
, 10b tongxinite* ** 01.AC Indium-tin family: 05
indium Indium is a chemical element with the symbol In and atomic number 49. Indium is the softest metal that is not an alkali metal. It is a silvery-white metal that resembles tin in appearance. It is a post-transition metal that makes up 0.21 parts pe ...
, 10
tin Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn (from la, stannum) and atomic number 50. Tin is a silvery-coloured metal. Tin is soft enough to be cut with little force and a bar of tin can be bent by hand with little effort. When bent, t ...
; 15 yuanjiangite, 15 sorosite ** 01.AD Mercury-amalgam family: 00 amalgam*, 05 mercury; 10 belendorffite, 10 kolymite; 15a paraschachnerite, 15a schachnerite, 15b luanheite, 15c eugenite, 15d moschellandsbergite; 20a weishanite, 20b goldamalgam*; 25 potarite, 30 leadamalgam ** 01.AE Iron-chromium family: 05
kamacite Kamacite is an alloy of iron and nickel, which is found on Earth only in meteorites. According to the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) it is considered a proper nickel-rich variety of the mineral native iron. The proportion iron:nic ...
? (iron var.), 05
iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in fro ...
, 05
chromium Chromium is a chemical element with the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in group 6. It is a steely-grey, lustrous, hard, and brittle transition metal. Chromium metal is valued for its high corrosion resistance and ha ...
; 10 antitaenite*, 10 taenite, 10 tetrataenite; 15 chromferide, 15 wairauite, 15 ferchromide; 20 awaruite, 25 jedwabite ** 01.AF Platinum-group elements: 05
osmium Osmium (from Greek grc, ὀσμή, osme, smell, label=none) is a chemical element with the symbol Os and atomic number 76. It is a hard, brittle, bluish-white transition metal in the platinum group that is found as a trace element in alloys, mo ...
, 05 rutheniridosmine, 05
ruthenium Ruthenium is a chemical element with the symbol Ru and atomic number 44. It is a rare transition metal belonging to the platinum group of the periodic table. Like the other metals of the platinum group, ruthenium is inert to most other chemicals ...
; 10
palladium Palladium is a chemical element with the symbol Pd and atomic number 46. It is a rare and lustrous silvery-white metal discovered in 1803 by the English chemist William Hyde Wollaston. He named it after the asteroid Pallas, which was itself ...
, 10
iridium Iridium is a chemical element with the symbol Ir and atomic number 77. A very hard, brittle, silvery-white transition metal of the platinum group, it is considered the second-densest naturally occurring metal (after osmium) with a density of ...
, 10
rhodium Rhodium is a chemical element with the symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is a very rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. It has only one naturally occurring isot ...
, 10
platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platin ...
** 01.AG PGE-metal alloys: 05 garutiite, 05 hexaferrum; 10 atokite, 10 zvyagintsevite, 10 rustenburgite; 15 taimyrite, 15 tatyanaite; 20 paolovite; 25 plumbopalladinite, 25 stannopalladinite; 30 cabriite; 35 chengdeite, 35 isoferroplatinum; 40 ferronickelplatinum, 40 tetraferroplatinum, 40 tulameenite; 45 hongshiite*, 45 skaergaardite; 50 yixunite, 55 damiaoite, 60 niggliite, 65 bortnikovite, 70 nielsenite * 01.B Metallic carbides, silicides, nitrides and phosphides ** 01.BA Carbides: 05
cohenite Cohenite is a naturally occurring iron carbide mineral with the chemical structure ( Fe, Ni, Co)3 C. This forms a hard, shiny, silver mineral which was named by E. Weinschenk in 1889 after the German mineralogist Emil Cohen, who first described ...
; 10 isovite, 10 haxonite; 15 tongbaite; 20 khamrabaevite, 20 niobocarbide, 20 tantalcarbide; 25 qusongite, 30 yarlongite ** 01.BB Silicides: zangboite; 05
mavlyanovite Mavlyanovite is a manganese-silicon mineral with formula Mn5Si3. It was named after Gani Mavlyanov, an Uzbek geologist who lived from 1910 to 1988. Transition metal silicides represent a rich variety of intermetallic compounds with specific crys ...
, 05
suessite Suessite is a rare iron silicide mineral with chemical formula: Fe3Si. The mineral was named after Professor Hans E. Suess. It was discovered in 1982 during the chemical analysis of The North Haig olivine pigeonite achondrite (ureilite). It is a ...
; 10 perryite, 15 fersilicite*, 20 ferdisilicite*, 25 luobusaite, 30 gupeiite, 35 hapkeite, 40
xifengite Xifengite ( Fe5 Si3) is a rare metallic iron silicide mineral. The crystal system of xifengite is hexagonal. It has a specific gravity of 6.45 and a Mohs hardness of 5.5. It occurs as steel gray inclusions within other meteorite derived nickel ir ...
** 01.BC Nitrides: 05 roaldite, 10 siderazot, 15 carlsbergite, 15
osbornite Osbornite is a naturally occurring variety of titanium nitride which has been found in meteorites and was first discovered in the Bustee meteorite in the late nineteenth century. Its crystals are golden-yellow octahedrons, combined with oldhamite ...
** 01.BD Phosphides: 05
schreibersite Schreibersite is generally a rare iron nickel phosphide mineral, , though common in iron-nickel meteorites. It has been found on Disko Island in Greenland and Illinois. Another name used for the mineral is rhabdite. It forms tetragonal crystals ...
, 05 nickelphosphide; 10 barringerite, 10 monipite; 15 allabogdanite, 15 florenskyite, 15 andreyivanovite; 20 melliniite * 01.C Metalloids and nonmetals ** 01.CA Arsenic group elements: 05
bismuth Bismuth is a chemical element with the symbol Bi and atomic number 83. It is a post-transition metal and one of the pnictogens, with chemical properties resembling its lighter group 15 siblings arsenic and antimony. Elemental bismuth occurs na ...
, 05 antimony, 05
arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, but ...
, 05 stibarsen; 10 arsenolamprite, 10 pararsenolamprite; 15 paradocrasite ** 01.CB Carbon-silicon family: 05a
graphite Graphite () is a crystalline form of the element carbon. It consists of stacked layers of graphene. Graphite occurs naturally and is the most stable form of carbon under standard conditions. Synthetic and natural graphite are consumed on lar ...
, 05b chaoite, 05c
fullerite A fullerene is an allotrope of carbon whose molecule consists of carbon atoms connected by single and double bonds so as to form a closed or partially closed mesh, with fused rings of five to seven atoms. The molecule may be a hollow spher ...
; 10a
diamond Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the chemically stable form of carbon at room temperature and pressure, ...
, 10b
lonsdaleite Lonsdaleite (named in honour of Kathleen Lonsdale), also called hexagonal diamond in reference to the crystal structure, is an allotrope of carbon with a hexagonal lattice, as opposed to the cubical lattice of conventional diamond. It is found ...
, 15
silicon Silicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. It is a hard, brittle crystalline solid with a blue-grey metallic luster, and is a tetravalent metalloid and semiconductor. It is a member of group 14 in the periodic ta ...
** 01.CC Sulfur-selenium-iodine: 05
sulfur Sulfur (or sulphur in British English) is a chemical element with the symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundant, multivalent and nonmetallic. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with a chemical formul ...
, 05 rosickyite; 10
tellurium Tellurium is a chemical element with the symbol Te and atomic number 52. It is a brittle, mildly toxic, rare, silver-white metalloid. Tellurium is chemically related to selenium and sulfur, all three of which are chalcogens. It is occasionally fou ...
, 10
selenium Selenium is a chemical element with the symbol Se and atomic number 34. It is a nonmetal (more rarely considered a metalloid) with properties that are intermediate between the elements above and below in the periodic table, sulfur and tellurium, ...
* 01.D Nonmetallic carbides and nitrides ** 01.DA Nonmetallic carbides: 05
moissanite Moissanite () is naturally occurring silicon carbide and its various crystalline polymorphs. It has the chemical formula SiC and is a rare mineral, discovered by the French chemist Henri Moissan in 1893. Silicon carbide is useful for commercial ...
** 01.DB Nonmetallic nitrides: 05 nierite, 10 sinoite * 01.X Unclassified Strunz elements (metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides) ** 01.XX Unknown: 00 hexamolybdenum, 00
tantalum Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as ''tantalium'', it is named after Tantalus, a villain in Greek mythology. Tantalum is a very hard, ductile, lustrous, blue-gray transition metal that is ...
*, 00 brownleeite


See also

*
Free element In chemistry, a free element is a chemical element that is not combined with or chemically bonded to other elements. Examples of elements which can occur as free elements include the oxygen molecule (O) and carbon.A. Earnshaw and Norman Gree ...
*
Gangue In mining, gangue () is the commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted mineral in an ore deposit. It is thus distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or materials overlying an ore or mineral body t ...
*
Native metal A native metal is any metal that is found pure in its metallic form in nature. Metals that can be found as native deposits singly or in alloys include aluminium, antimony, arsenic, bismuth, cadmium, chromium, cobalt, indium, iron, manganese, mo ...
*
Native state In biochemistry, the native state of a protein or nucleic acid is its properly folded and/or assembled form, which is operative and functional. The native state of a biomolecule may possess all four levels of biomolecular structure, with the ...


References

* * *
Mineralsystematik nach Strunz 9. Auflage von 2001 (aktuell)
* Hr. Dr. Udo Neumann der Uni-Tuebingen

{{Authority control Classification of minerals