Ammineite

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Ammineite
Ammineite.jpg
Sky blue ammineite crystals (a mineral with amine groups, IMA 2008-032) in a matrix of halite. From: Pabellon de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá Region, Chile.
General
Category Chloride mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)
CuCl2(NH3)2
IMA symbol Amm [1]
Crystal system Orthorhombic
Crystal class Dipyramidal (mmm)
H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m)
Space group Cmcm
Unit cell a = 7.79, b = 10.64
c = 5.84 [Å] (approximated)
Identification
ColorBlue
Crystal habit Hypidiomorphic crystals; powdery masses
Mohs scale hardness1
Luster Vitreous
Streak Light blue
Specific gravity 2.38 (calculated)
Pleochroism Dark blue to light blue
References [2] [3]

Ammineite is the first recognized mineral containing ammine groups. Its formula is [CuCl2(NH3)2]. The mineral is chemically pure. It was found in a guano deposit in Chile. [2] [3] At the same site other ammine-containing minerals were later found: [4] [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Crystal structure

The characteristic features of the structure of ammineite are: [2]

Associated minerals

Ammineite coexists with atacamite, darapskite, halite and salammoniac. [2]

Origin

Ammineite is supposed to be a result of an interaction of an earlier copper mineral, likely from a plutonic rock, with ammonia in guano. Ammonia may be produced in decomposition of compounds like urea or uric acid. [2]

Related Research Articles

Aurichalcite Basic carbonate of zinc and copper

Aurichalcite is a carbonate mineral, usually found as a secondary mineral in copper and zinc deposits. Its chemical formula is (Zn,Cu)5(CO3)2(OH)6. The zinc to copper ratio is about 5:4.

Crookesite Selenide of copper, thallium and silver

Crookesite is a selenide mineral composed of copper and selenium with variable thallium and silver.

Diadochite

Diadochite is a phospho-sulfate mineral. It is a secondary mineral formed by the weathering and hydration of other minerals. Its formula is Fe2(PO4)(SO4)OH·5H2O. Well crystallized forms are referred to as destinezite, which has been given official recognition by the International Mineralogical Association with diadochite being the poorly formed to amorphous variety.

Enargite Sulfosalt mineral

Enargite is a copper arsenic sulfosalt mineral with formula Cu3AsS4. It takes its name from the Greek word enarge, "distinct". Enargite is a steel gray, blackish gray, to violet black mineral with metallic luster. It forms slender orthorhombic prisms as well as massive aggregates. It has a hardness of 3 and a specific gravity of 4.45.

Metal ammine complex

In coordination chemistry, metal ammine complexes are metal complexes containing at least one ammonia (NH3) ligand. "Ammine" is spelled this way due to historical reasons; in contrast, alkyl or aryl bearing ligands are spelt with a single "m". Almost all metal ions bind ammonia as a ligand, but the most prevalent examples of ammine complexes are for Cr(III), Co(III), Ni(II), Cu(II) as well as several platinum group metals.

Antlerite

Antlerite is a greenish hydrous copper sulfate mineral, with the formula Cu3(SO4)(OH)4. It occurs in tabular, acicular, or fibrous crystals with a vitreous luster. Originally believed to be a rare mineral, antlerite was found to be the primary ore of the oxidised zones in several copper mines across the world, including the Chuquicamata mine in Chile, and the Antler mine in Arizona, US from which it takes its name. It is chemically and optically similar in many respects to other copper minerals such as malachite and brochantite, though it can be distinguished from the former by a lack of effervescence in hydrochloric acid.

Stromeyerite Sulfide mineral

Stromeyerite is a sulfide mineral of copper and silver, with the chemical formula AgCuS. It forms opaque blue grey to dark blue orthorhombic crystals.

Copper(II) phosphate Chemical compound

Copper(II) phosphate are inorganic compounds with the formula Cu3(PO4)2.n(H2O). They can be regarded as the cupric salt of phosphoric acid. Anhydrous copper(II) phosphate is a blue solid. It is produced by a high-temperature reaction between diammonium phosphate and copper(II) oxide.

Aktashite

Aktashite is a rare arsenic sulfosalt mineral with formula Cu6Hg3As4S12. It is a copper mercury-bearing sulfosalt and is the only sulfosalt mineral with essential Cu and Hg yet known. It is of hydrothermal origin. It was published without approval of the IMA-CNMNC, but recognized as valid species by the IMA-CNMNC Sulfosalts Subcommittee (2008).

Boleite

Boleite is a complex halide mineral with formula: KPb26Ag9Cu24(OH)48Cl62. It was first described in 1891 as an oxychloride mineral. It is an isometric mineral which forms in deep-blue cubes. There are numerous minerals related to boleite, such as pseudoboleite, cumengite, and diaboleite, and these all have the same complex crystal structure. They all contain bright-blue cubic forms and are formed in altered zones of lead and copper deposits, produced during the reaction of chloride bearing solutions with primary sulfide minerals.

Djerfisherite

Djerfisherite is an alkali copper–iron sulfide mineral and a member of the djerfisherite group.

Georgbarsanovite Mineral of the eudialyte group

Georgbarsanovite is a very rare mineral of the eudialyte group, formerly known under unaccepted name as barsanovite, with formula Na12(Mn,Sr,REE)3Ca6Fe32+Zr3NbSi(Si3O9)2(Si9O27)2O4Cl2·H2O. The original formula was extended to show the presence of cyclic silicate groups and domination of silicon at the M4 site. "REE", standing for rare earth elements, are dominated by cerium. Georgbarsanovite characterizes in dominance of manganese at the N4 site. It also differs from most other accepted group representatives in its colour. The mineral was found in nepheline pegmatite nearby Petrelius river, Khibiny massif, Kola Peninsula, Russia. It is named after Russian mineralogist Georg Barsanov.

Chanabayaite

Chanabayaite is the first recognized triazolate mineral, having the formula Cu
2
(N
3
C
2
H
2
Cl
4
.

Joanneumite

Joanneumite, confirmed as a new mineral in 2012, is the first recognized isocyanurate mineral, with the formula Cu(C3N3O3H2)2(NH3)2. It is also an ammine-containing mineral, a feature shared with ammineite, chanabayaite and shilovite. All the minerals are very rare and were found in a guano deposit in Pabellón de Pica, Chile.

Feodosiyite is a very rare chloride mineral, just recently approved, with the formula Cu11Mg2Cl18(OH)8•16H2O. Its structure is unique. Feodosiyite comes from the Tolbachik volcano, famous for many rare fumarolic minerals. Chemically similar minerals, chlorides containing both copper and magnesium, include haydeeite, paratacamite-(Mg) and tondiite.

Chrysothallite is a rare thallium-bearing chloride mineral with the formula K6Cu6Tl3+Cl17(OH)4•H2O. Chrysothallite is unique in being only the second mineral with essential trivalent thallium, a feature shared with natural thallium(III) oxide, avicennite. Another examples of natural thallium chlorides are steropesite, Tl3BiCl6, and lafossaite, TlCl. Chrysothallite is one of numerous fumarolic minerals discovered among fumarolic sites of the Tolbachik volcano, Kamchatka, Russia The mineral is named in allusion to its colour and thallium content.

Bluebellite is a mineral discovered in 2013 in the Blue Bell Mine in the Mojave Desert, California at the same time as the discovery of mojaveite. This mineral was named after its locality, since the Blue Bell Mine claims most of the surrounding area. The only observed forms of this mineral are the {001} and {001}. Bluebellite is known to form bright bluish-green flattened plates or flakes that are range up to 20 x 20 x 5 nm in size, commonly inter-grown in irregular aggregates. Bluebellite and mojaveite are very similar in structure, they are only differentiated by their unique mineral composition.

Triazolite

Triazolite is an organic mineral with the chemical structure of NaCu2(N3C2H2)2(NH3)2Cl3·4H2O, and is formed in conjunction with chanabayite, another natural triazolate. Triazolite has only been found in Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá Region, Chile, due to its specific requirements for formation. The first specimens of triazolite were found in what is suspected to be the guano of the Guanay cormorant. The guano reacted to chalcopyrite-bearing gabbro, allowing the formation for triazolite to take place. Triazolite was initially grouped together with chanabayite in 2015, and wasn't identified as a separate mineral until 2017.

Lemanskiite is a mineral that was first discovered in a mine at Abundancia mine, El Guanaco mining district, Chile, with the ideal formula of NaCaCu5(AsO4)4Cl•3H2O. Originally, this mineral was discovered as being dimorphus with lavendulan, but in 2018 it was revised to only have 3 water molecules. Lemanskiite typically occurs as rosette-shaped aggregates of thin lamellar or needle-shaped aggregates, such as lammerite. Lemanskiite is dark sky blue with a light blue streak, it is brittle with an excellent cleavage plane. It was found on a dumping site in the abandoned Abundancia mine, El Guanaco mining district, Region II, Antofagasta Province, Chile The new mineral has been named after Chester S. Lemanski, Jr. This mineral and name were then approved by the Commission on New Minerals and Mineral Names of the International Mineralogical Association.

Copper(II) cyanurate Chemical compound

Copper(II) cyanurate (C3HCuN3O3) is an organic compound. It has very few uses, and is more often encountered accidentally, rather than actually synthesised.

References

  1. Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID   235729616.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Bojar, H.-P., Walter, F., Baumgartner, J., and Färber, G. 2010. Ammineite, CuCl2(NH3)2, a new species containing an ammine complex: mineral data and crystal structure. The Canadian Mineralogist 48(6), 1359-1371.
  3. 1 2 Mindat, Ammineite, http://www.mindat.org/min-38895.html
  4. Mindat, Pabellón de Pica, http://www.mindat.org/loc-192704.html
  5. Mindat, Chanabayaite, http://www.mindat.org/min-43945.html
  6. Mindat, Joanneumite, http://www.mindat.org/min-42755.html
  7. Mindat, Shilovite, http://www.mindat.org/min-46139.html