Topic summary
Lorándite
Lorándite is a thalliumarsenicsulfosalt with the chemical formula: TlAsS2. Though rare, it is the most common thallium-bearing mineral. Lorándite occurs in low-temperature hydrothermal associations and in gold and mercuryore deposits. Associated minerals include stibnite, realgar, orpiment, cinnabar, vrbaite, greigite, marcasite, pyrite, tetrahedrite, antimonian sphalerite, arsenic and barite.
The mineral is being used for the detection of solar neutrinos via a certain nuclear reaction involving thallium. It has a monoclinic crystal structure consisting of spiral chains of AsS3 tetrahedra interconnected by thallium atoms, and can be synthesized in the laboratory.