sulfide minerals
The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S22−) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides, t ...
with the general formula , where
*A represents a
metal
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 typi ...
such as
copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish ...
,
lead
Lead is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metals, heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale of mineral hardness#Intermediate ...
,
silver
Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...
,
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 ...
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 ...
,
vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pass ...
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, bu ...
,
antimony
Antimony is a chemical element with the symbol Sb (from la, stibium) and atomic number 51. A lustrous gray metalloid, it is found in nature mainly as the sulfide mineral stibnite (Sb2S3). Antimony compounds have been known since ancient ti ...
,
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 ...
, and rarely
germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbo ...
, or metals like
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, ...
and rarely
vanadium
Vanadium is a chemical element with the symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an oxide layer ( pass ...
*X is
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 ...
or rarely
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 telluriu ...
and/or
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 fo ...
.
The
Strunz classification Strunz can refer to:
* Claudio Strunz (born 1966), Argentine drummer
* Claus Strunz (born 1966), German journalist
* Thomas Strunz, (born 1968), German soccer player
* Strunz classification in mineralogy
* Strunz & Farah
Strunz & Farah is a guit ...
includes the sulfosalts in a ''sulfides and sulfosalts'' superclass. A group which have similar appearing formulas are the sulfarsenides (for example
cobaltite
Cobaltite is a sulfide mineral composed of cobalt, arsenic, and sulfur, Co As S. Its impurities may contain up to 10% iron and variable amounts of nickel.Klein, Cornelus and Cornrlius Hurlbut, 1996, ''Manual of Mineralogy'', 20th ed., Wiley, p.28 ...
(Co,Fe)AsS). In sulfarsenides the arsenic substitutes for
sulfide
Sulfide (British English also sulphide) is an inorganic anion of sulfur with the chemical formula S2− or a compound containing one or more S2− ions. Solutions of sulfide salts are corrosive. ''Sulfide'' also refers to chemical compounds l ...
anion
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...
s whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for a metal
cation
An ion () is an atom or molecule with a net electrical charge.
The charge of an electron is considered to be negative by convention and this charge is equal and opposite to the charge of a proton, which is considered to be positive by conve ...
.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
Proustite is a sulfosalt mineral consisting of silver sulfarsenide, Ag3 As S3, known also as light red silver or ruby silver ore, and an important source of the metal. It is closely allied to the corresponding sulfantimonide, pyrargyrite, from w ...
, sulfosalt minerals are often deeply colored.
* type
**
Pyrargyrite
Pyrargyrite is a sulfosalt mineral consisting of silver sulfantimonite, Ag3SbS3. Known also as dark red silver ore or ruby silver, it is an important source of the metal.
It is closely allied to, and isomorphous with, the corresponding sulfars ...
**
Proustite
Proustite is a sulfosalt mineral consisting of silver sulfarsenide, Ag3 As S3, known also as light red silver or ruby silver ore, and an important source of the metal. It is closely allied to the corresponding sulfantimonide, pyrargyrite, from w ...
**
Tetrahedrite
Tetrahedrite is a copper antimony sulfosalt mineral with formula: . It is the antimony endmember of the continuous solid solution series with arsenic-bearing tennantite. Pure endmembers of the series are seldom if ever seen in nature. Of the t ...
**
Tennantite
Tennantite is a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral with an ideal formula . Due to variable substitution of the copper by iron and zinc the formula is . It is gray-black, steel-gray, iron-gray or black in color. A closely related mineral, tetrahedri ...
* type
**
Enargite
Enargite is a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral with formula Cu3AsS4. It takes its name from the Greek word , "distinct". Enargite is a steel gray, blackish gray, to violet black mineral with metallic luster. It forms slender orthorhombic prisms as ...
Samsonite
Samsonite International S.A. () is an American premium luggage manufacturer and retailer, with products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags and briefcases. The company was founded in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Its regi ...
**
Geocronite
Geocronite is a mineral, a mixed sulfosalt containing lead, antimony, and arsenic with a formula of Pb14(Sb, As)6S23. Geocronite is the antimony-rich endmember of a solid solution series. The arsenic-rich endmember is named jordanite. It occurs ...
Boulangerite
Boulangerite is an uncommon monoclinic orthorhombic sulfosalt mineral, lead antimony sulfide, formula Pb5Sb4S11. It was named in 1837 in honor of French mining engineer Charles Boulanger (1810–1849),http://www.mindat.org/min-738.html Mindat and ...
Teallite
Teallite is a sulfide mineral of tin and lead with chemical formula: Pb Sn S2. It occurs in hydrothermal veins and is sometimes mined as an ore of tin. Teallite forms soft silvery grey mica-like plates and crystallizes in the orthorhombic system. ...
Zinkenite
Zinkenite is a steel-gray metallic sulfosalt mineral composed of lead antimony sulfide Pb9 Sb22 S42. Zinkenite occurs as acicular needle-like crystals.
It was first described in 1826 for an occurrence in the Harz Mountains, Saxony-Anhalt, Germ ...
Cylindrite
Cylindrite is a sulfosalt mineral containing tin, lead, antimony and iron with formula: Pb3 Sn4 Fe Sb2 S14. It forms triclinic pinacoidal crystals which often occur as tubes or cylinders which are in fact rolled sheets. It has a black to lead g ...
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
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 ...
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 ...
νῆσος ''nēsos'', island)
***Soro: grouping (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 ...
σωρός ''sōros'', heap, mound (especially of corn))
***Cyclo: ring (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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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
Proustite
Proustite is a sulfosalt mineral consisting of silver sulfarsenide, Ag3 As S3, known also as light red silver or ruby silver ore, and an important source of the metal. It is closely allied to the corresponding sulfantimonide, pyrargyrite, from w ...
, 05
Pyrargyrite
Pyrargyrite is a sulfosalt mineral consisting of silver sulfantimonite, Ag3SbS3. Known also as dark red silver ore or ruby silver, it is an important source of the metal.
It is closely allied to, and isomorphous with, the corresponding sulfars ...
Samsonite
Samsonite International S.A. () is an American premium luggage manufacturer and retailer, with products ranging from large suitcases to small toiletries bags and briefcases. The company was founded in Denver, Colorado, United States.
Its regi ...
Tennantite
Tennantite is a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral with an ideal formula . Due to variable substitution of the copper by iron and zinc the formula is . It is gray-black, steel-gray, iron-gray or black in color. A closely related mineral, tetrahedri ...
, 05
Tetrahedrite
Tetrahedrite is a copper antimony sulfosalt mineral with formula: . It is the antimony endmember of the continuous solid solution series with arsenic-bearing tennantite. Pure endmembers of the series are seldom if ever seen in nature. Of the t ...
Stephanite
Stephanite is a silver antimony sulfosalt mineral with formula: Ag5 Sb S4. It is composed of 68.8% silver, and sometimes is of importance as an ore of this metal.
History
Under the name Schwarzerz it was mentioned by Georgius Agricola in 1546, ...
Polybasite
Polybasite is a sulfosalt mineral of silver, copper, antimony and arsenic. Its chemical formula is .
It forms black monoclinic crystals (thin, tabular, with six corners) which can show dark red internal reflections. It has a Mohs hardness of 2. ...
, 15
Pearceite
Pearceite is one of the four so-called "ruby silvers", pearceite , pyrargyrite , proustite and miargyrite . It was discovered in 1896 and named after Dr Richard Pearce (1837–1927), a Cornish–American chemist and metallurgist from Denver, Col ...
Aleksite
Aleksite ( IMA symbol: Alk) is a rare lead bismuth tellurium sulfosalt mineral
Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula , where
*A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanad ...
Meneghinite
Meneghinite is a sulfosalt mineral with the chemical formula CuPb13 Sb7S24.
In the orthorhombic crystal system, meneghinite has a Mohs hardness of , one perfect cleavage and a conchoidal fracture. It is a blackish lead-grey in colour and gives a ...
Guettardite
Guettardite is a rare arsenic-antimony lead sulfosalt mineral with the chemical formula . It forms gray black metallic prismatic to acicular crystals with monoclinic symmetry. It is a dimorph of the triclinic twinnite.
Discovery and occurrence
...
, 05b
Baumhauerite
Baumhauerite (Pb3As4S9) is a rare lead sulfosalt mineral. It crystallizes in the triclinic system, is gray-black to blue-gray and its lustre is metallic to dull. Baumhauerite has a hardness of 3.
Baumhauerite occurs as small crystals embedded in ...
Semseyite
Semseyite is a rarely occurring sulfosalt mineral and is part of the class of lead antimony sulfides. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system with the chemical composition Pb9Sb8S21. The mineral forms dark gray to black aggregates.
Etymology ...
Boulangerite
Boulangerite is an uncommon monoclinic orthorhombic sulfosalt mineral, lead antimony sulfide, formula Pb5Sb4S11. It was named in 1837 in honor of French mining engineer Charles Boulanger (1810–1849),http://www.mindat.org/min-738.html Mindat and ...
Christite
Christite is a mineral with the chemical formula Tl Hg As S3. It is named after Dr. Charles L. Christ, a member of the U.S. Geological Survey. It usually comes in a crimson red or bright orange color. It has a density of 6.2 and has a rating bet ...
Cylindrite
Cylindrite is a sulfosalt mineral containing tin, lead, antimony and iron with formula: Pb3 Sn4 Fe Sb2 S14. It forms triclinic pinacoidal crystals which often occur as tubes or cylinders which are in fact rolled sheets. It has a black to lead g ...
Franckeite
Franckeite, chemical formula Pb5Sn3Sb2S14, belongs to a family of complex sulfide minerals. Franckeite is a sulfosalt. It is closely related to cylindrite.
It was first described in 1893 for an occurrence in Chocaya, Potosí Department, Bolivia. ...
Jordanite
Jordanite is a sulfosalt mineral with chemical formula in the monoclinic crystal system, named after the German scientist H. Jordan (1808–1887) who discovered it in 1864.
Lead-grey in colour (frequently displaying an iridescent tarnish), its ...
, 30a
Geocronite
Geocronite is a mineral, a mixed sulfosalt containing lead, antimony, and arsenic with a formula of Pb14(Sb, As)6S23. Geocronite is the antimony-rich endmember of a solid solution series. The arsenic-rich endmember is named jordanite. It occurs ...
Zinkenite
Zinkenite is a steel-gray metallic sulfosalt mineral composed of lead antimony sulfide Pb9 Sb22 S42. Zinkenite occurs as acicular needle-like crystals.
It was first described in 1826 for an occurrence in the Harz Mountains, Saxony-Anhalt, Germ ...
Bursaite
Bursaite is a sulfosalt of the lillianite family. It has the formula Pb5Bi4S11 and orthorhombic structure. Bursaite is named after Bursa Province, Turkey, where it was discovered.Rasit, T. (1954-55A study on the concentration tests and beneficiat ...
Enargite
Enargite is a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral with formula Cu3AsS4. It takes its name from the Greek word , "distinct". Enargite is a steel gray, blackish gray, to violet black mineral with metallic luster. It forms slender orthorhombic prisms as ...
Briartite
Briartite is an opaque iron-grey metallic sulfide mineral, with traces of Ga and Sn, found as inclusions in other germanium-gallium-bearing sulfides.
It was discovered at the Prince Léopold Mine, Kipushi, Shaba, Congo (Léopoldville) in 1965 b ...
Sarabauite
Sarabauite (sar-a-bau'-ite) is a red monoclinic sulfide mineral with the chemical formula: CaSb10O10S6.
Origin of name and type locality
Sarabauite was first described in 1977 and named for its type locality, the Sarabau Mine (Lucky Hill mi ...
Many sulfosalts can be prepared in the laboratory, including many that do not occur in nature.Sheldrick, William S.; Wachhold, Michael "Chalcogenidometalates of the heavier Group 14 and 15 elements" Coordination Chemistry Reviews 1998, vol. 176, 211-322.
References
* Mozgova N.N. (2000). ''Sulfosalt mineralogy today''. In: ''Modern Approaches to Ore and Environmental Mineralogy'', MSF Mini-Symposium Espoo Finland, June 11–17, 2000, https://web.archive.org/web/20050907172937/http://www.igem.ru/igem/mine/sulfosalts.htm Retrieved July 22, 2005.
*
*
*
*
{{Strunz