Sulfosalt mineral

Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula A_mB_nX_p, 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 sulfideanions whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for a metal cation.

About 200 sulfosalt minerals are known. Examples include:

• A₃BX₃ type
  • PyrargyriteAg₃SbS₃
  • ProustiteAg₃AsS₃
  • TetrahedriteCu₁₂Sb₄S₁₃
  • TennantiteCu₁₂As₄S₁₃
• A₃BX₄ type
  • EnargiteCu₃AsS₄
  • Cu₃VS₄
  • SamsoniteAg₄MnSb₂S₆
  • GeocronitePb₁₄(Sb,As)₆S₂₃
  • GratonitePb₉As₄S₁₅
• A₂BX₃ type
  • BournonitePbCuSbS₃
  • SeligmannitePbCuAsS₃
  • AikinitePbCuBiS₃
• ABX₂ type
  • BoulangeritePb₅Sb₄S₁₁
  • AgBiS₂
  • SmithiteAgAsS₂
  • ChalcostibiteCuSbS₂
  • CuBiS₂
  • LoránditeTlAsS₂
  • TeallitePbSnS₂
• A₂B₂X₅ type
  • Ag₃Pb₆Sb₁₁S₂₄
  • JamesonitePb₄FeSb₆S₁₄
  • Pb₂Bi₂S₅
• A₂B₃X₆ type
  • AndoritePbAgSb₃S₆
  • Pb₃Cu₃Bi₇S₁₅
• AB₂X₄ type
  • ZinkenitePb₉Sb₂₂S₄₂
  • BerthieriteFeSb₂S₄
  • CylindritePb₃Sn₄FeSb₂S₁₄