Idrialite

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Idrialite
Idrialite-172289.jpg
Idrialite, Skaggs Springs Mine, Sonoma County, California (size: 6.3 x 4.1 x 1.8 cm
General
Category Organic mineral
Formula
(repeating unit)		C22H14
IMA symbol Id [1]
Strunz classification 10.BA.20
Dana classification50.03.08.01
Crystal system Orthorhombic
Unknown space group
Unit cell a = 8.07, b = 6.42
c = 27.75 [Å]; Z = 4
Identification
ColorGreenish yellow, light brown, colorless
Cleavage {001}, perfect; {100}, poor
Fracture Conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness1.5
Luster Vitreous to adamantine
Specific gravity 1.236
Optical propertiesBiaxial (+)
Refractive index nα= 1.557 nβ = 1.734 nγ = 2.07
Pleochroism X = pale yellow; Y = Z = yellow
2V angle 84°
Ultraviolet fluorescence Short UV=blue, orange, yellow, green white
References [2] [3] [4]

Idrialite is a rare hydrocarbon mineral with approximate chemical formula C22H14. [2] [3] [4]

Contents

Idrialite usually occurs as soft orthorhombic crystals, is usually greenish yellow to light brown in color with bluish fluorescence. It is named after Idrija, town in Slovenia, where its occurrence was first described. [4]

The mineral has also been called idrialine, and branderz in German It has also been called inflammable cinnabar due to its combustibility and association with cinnabar ores in the source locality. [5] A mineral found in the Skaggs Springs location of California was described in 1925 and named curtisite, but was eventually found to consist of the same compounds as idrialite, in somewhat different amounts. [6] [7] Thus curtisite is now considered to be merely a variety of idrialite. [8]

Discovery and occurrence

Idrialite was first described in 1832 for an occurrence in the Idrija region west of Ljubljana, northwestern Slovenia, [4] mixed with clay, pyrite, quartz and gypsum associated with cinnabar. [2]

It also occurs at the Skaggs Springs location in Sonoma County, in western Lake County, and in the Knoxville Mine in Napa County, California. [2] It has also been reported from localities in France, Slovakia and Ukraine. [4]

In the Skaggs Springs occurrence, the mineral occurs in a hot spring area of the Franciscan formation, around a vent in the sandstone that gave off inflammable gases. The mineral was described in 1925 and named "curtisite" after the local resident L. Curtis who called attention to it. [9] [10] The crystals are square or six sided flakes, 1 mm in diameter, yellow to pistachio green in transmitted light. It is associated with opaline silica, realgar (arsenic sulfide) and metacinnabarite (mercuric sulfide), which had been deposited in that order before it. [10]

Composition and properties

The Curtisite variety is only slightly soluble in hot acetone, amyl acetate, butanol, petroleum ether. The solubility is 0.5% or less in hot carbon bisulfide, carbon tetrachloride, chloroform, diethyl ether, or boiling benzene; about 1.5% in toluene, about 2.5% in xylene, and over 10% in hot aniline. The material purified by repeated recrystallization melts at 360-370 C while turning very black. It sublimes giving very thin iridescent colors. [10]

Raman spectroscopy studies indicate that it may be a mixture of complex hydrocarbons including benzonaphthothiophenes (chemical formula: C16H10S) and dinaphthothiophenes (chemical formula: C20H12S). [11]

Curtisite and idrialite have been found to be unique complex mixtures of over 100 polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) consisting of six specific PAH structural series with each member of a series differing from the previous member by addition of another aromatic ring. The curtisite and idrialite samples contained many of the same components but in considerably different relative amounts. [6] [12]

The major PAH constituents of the curtisite sample were: picene (a PAH with 5 fused benzene rings), dibenzo[a,h]fluorene, 11H-indeno[2,1-a]phenanthrene, benzo[b]phenanthro[2,1-d]thiophene, indenofluorenes, chrysene, and their methyl- and dimethyl-substituted homologues; the major components in the idrialite sample were higher-molecular-weight PAH, i.e. benzonaphthofluorenes (molecular weight 316), benzoindenofluorenes (MW 304) and benzopicene (MW 328), in addition to the compounds found in the curtisite sample. [6]

Curtisite is also associated with small amounts of a dark brown oil, that appears to be responsible for some of the yellow color and most of the fluorescence, and can be separated by recrystallization. [10]

Based on the composition, it was conjectured that the compounds were produced by medium-temperature pyrolysis of organic matter, then further modified by extended equilibration at elevated temperatures in the subsurface and by recrystallization during migration. [7]

When distilled, it produces the mineral wax idrialin. [13] [14]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aromatic compound</span> Compound containing rings with delocalized pi electrons

Aromatic compounds, also known as "mono- and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons", are organic compounds containing one or more aromatic rings. The word "aromatic" originates from the past grouping of molecules based on odor, before their general chemical properties were understood. The current definition of aromatic compounds does not have any relation with their odor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kerogen</span> Solid organic matter in sedimentary rocks

Kerogen is solid, insoluble organic matter in sedimentary rocks. It consists of a variety of organic materials, including dead plants, algae, and other microorganisms, that have been compressed and heated by geological processes. Altogether kerogen is estimated to contain 1016 tons of carbon. This makes it the most abundant source of organic compounds on earth, exceeding the total organic content of living matter 10,000-fold.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anthracene</span> Chemical compound

Anthracene is a solid polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) of formula C14H10, consisting of three fused benzene rings. It is a component of coal tar. Anthracene is used in the production of the red dye alizarin and other dyes. Anthracene is colorless but exhibits a blue (400–500 nm peak) fluorescence under ultraviolet radiation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phenanthrene</span> Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon composed of three fused benzene rings

Phenanthrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with formula C14H10, consisting of three fused benzene rings. It is a colorless, crystal-like solid, but can also appear yellow. Phenanthrene is used to make dyes, plastics and pesticides, explosives and drugs. It has also been used to make bile acids, cholesterol and steroids.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coronene</span> Chemical compound

Coronene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) comprising seven peri-fused benzene rings. Its chemical formula is C
24H
12. It is a yellow material that dissolves in common solvents including benzene, toluene, and dichloromethane. Its solutions emit blue light fluorescence under UV light. It has been used as a solvent probe, similar to pyrene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon</span> Hydrocarbon composed of multiple aromatic rings

A polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) is a class of organic compounds that is composed of multiple aromatic rings. The simplest representative is naphthalene, having two aromatic rings, and the three-ring compounds anthracene and phenanthrene. PAHs are uncharged, non-polar and planar. Many are colorless. Many of them are found in coal and in oil deposits, and are also produced by the incomplete combustion of organic matter—for example, in engines and incinerators or when biomass burns in forest fires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Triphenylene</span> Chemical compound

Triphenylene is an organic compound with the formula (C6H4)3. A flat polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), it consists of four fused benzene rings. Triphenylene has delocalized 18-π-electron systems based on a planar structure, corresponding to the symmetry group D3h. It is a white or colorless solid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mellitic acid</span> Chemical compound

Mellitic acid, also called graphitic acid or benzenehexacarboxylic acid, is an acid first discovered in 1799 by Martin Heinrich Klaproth in the mineral mellite (honeystone), which is the aluminium salt of the acid. It crystallizes in fine silky needles and is soluble in water and alcohol.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fluoranthene</span> Chemical compound

Fluoranthene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH). The molecule can be viewed as the fusion of naphthalene and benzene unit connected by a five-membered ring. Although samples are often pale yellow, the compound is colorless. It is soluble in nonpolar organic solvents. It is a member of the class of PAHs known as non-alternant PAHs because it has rings other than those with six carbon atoms. It is a structural isomer of the alternant PAH pyrene. It is not as thermodynamically stable as pyrene. Its name is derived from its fluorescence under UV light.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carpathite</span> Very rare mineral

Carpathite is a very rare hydrocarbon mineral, consisting of exceptionally pure coronene (C24H12), a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon. The name has been spelled karpatite and the mineral was improperly renamed pendletonite.

PAH or Pah may refer to:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chrysene</span> Chemical compound

Chrysene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) with the molecular formula C
18H
12 that consists of four fused benzene rings. It is a natural constituent of coal tar, from which it was first isolated and characterized. It is also found in creosote at levels of 0.5–6 mg/kg.

Chlorinated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (Cl-PAHs) are a group of compounds comprising polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons with two or more aromatic rings and one or more chlorine atoms attached to the ring system. Cl-PAHs can be divided into two groups: chloro-substituted PAHs, which have one or more hydrogen atoms substituted by a chlorine atom, and chloro-added Cl-PAHs, which have two or more chlorine atoms added to the molecule. They are products of incomplete combustion of organic materials. They have many congeners, and the occurrences and toxicities of the congeners differ. Cl-PAHs are hydrophobic compounds and their persistence within ecosystems is due to their low water solubility. They are structurally similar to other halogenated hydrocarbons such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), dibenzofurans (PCDFs), and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Cl-PAHs in the environment are strongly susceptible to the effects of gas/particle partitioning, seasonal sources, and climatic conditions.

Benzo(<i>j</i>)fluoranthene Chemical compound

Benzo[j]fluoranthene (BjF) is an organic compound with the chemical formula C20H12. Classified as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), it is a colourless solid that is poorly soluble in most solvents. Impure samples can appear off white. Closely related isomeric compounds include benzo[a]fluoranthene (BaF), bendo[b]fluoranthene (BbF), benzo[e]fluoranthene (BeF), and benzo[k]fluoranthene (BkF). BjF is present in fossil fuels and is released during incomplete combustion of organic matter. It has been traced in the smoke of cigarettes, exhaust from gasoline engines, emissions from the combustion of various types of coal and emissions from oil heating, as well as an impurity in some oils such as soybean oil.

Benzo(<i>k</i>)fluoranthene Chemical compound

Benzo[k]fluoranthene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C20H12. Classified as a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), it forms pale yellow needles or crystals, and is poorly soluble in most solvents. Impure samples can appear off white. Closely related isomeric compounds include benzo(a)fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(e)fluoranthene, and benzo(j)fluoranthene.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zethrene</span> Chemical compound

Zethrene (dibenzo[de,mn]naphthacene) is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon consisting of two phenalene units fused together. According to Clar's rule, the two exterior naphthalene units are truly aromatic and the two central double bonds are not aromatic at all. For this reason the compound is of some interest to academic research. Zethrene has a deep-red color and it is light sensitive - complete decomposition under a sunlight lamp occurs within 12 hours. The melting point is 262 °C.

Dibenz(<i>a</i>,<i>h</i>)anthracene Chemical compound

Dibenz[a,h]anthracene is an organic compound with the chemical formula C22H14. It is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) made of five fused benzene rings. It is a fused five-ringed PAH which is common as a pollutant of smoke and oils. It is white to light yellow crystalline solid. It is stable and highly genotoxic in bacterial and mammalian cell systems, as it intercalates into DNA and causes mutations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Organic mineral</span> Natural compound occurring in mineral form

An organic mineral is an organic compound in mineral form. An organic compound is any compound containing carbon, aside from some simple ones discovered before 1828. There are three classes of organic mineral: hydrocarbons, salts of organic acids, and miscellaneous. Organic minerals are rare, and tend to have specialized settings such as fossilized cacti and bat guano. Mineralogists have used statistical models to predict that there are more undiscovered organic mineral species than known ones.

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Indeno(1,2,3-<i>cd</i>)pyrene Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon

Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH), one of 16 PAHs generally measured in studies of environmental exposure and air pollution. Many compounds of this class are formed when burning coal, oil, gas, wood, household waste and tobacco, and can bind to or form small particles in the air. The compounds are known to have toxic, mutagenic and/or carcinogenic properties. Over 100 different PAHs have been identified in environmental samples. One of these 16 is Indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene (IP). IP is the combination of an indeno molecule and a pyrene molecule with a fluoranthene network. In 1962, the National Cancer Institute reported that indeno[1,2,3-cd]pyrene has a slight tumor activity. This was confirmed in 1973 by the IARC in mice testing.

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 "Idrialite" entry in John W. Anthony, Richard A. Bideaux, Kenneth W. Bladh, and Monte C. Nichols (): Handbook of Mineralogy . Published by the Mineralogical Society of America. Accessed on 2020-08-28
  3. 1 2 Dave Barthelmy (2012): "Idrialite Mineral Data". Online document at Webmineral.com. Accessed on 2020-08-28.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 "Idrialite" page at the Mindat.org online database. Accessed on 2020-08-28.
  5. ↑ Egleston, Thomas (1889). Catalogue of Minerals and Synonyms. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 83.
  6. 1 2 3 Stephen A. Wise, Robert M. Campbell, W. Raymond West, Milton L. Lee, Keith D. Bartle (1986): "Characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon minerals curtisite, idrialite and pendletonite using high-performance liquid chromatography, gas chromatography, mass spectrometry and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy". Chemical Geology, volume 54, issues 3–4, pages 339-357. doi : 10.1016/0009-2541(86)90148-8
  7. 1 2 Max Blumer (1975): "Curtisite, idrialite and pendletonite, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon minerals: Their composition and origin" Chemical Geology, volume 16, issue 4, pages 245-256. doi : 10.1016/0009-2541(75)90064-9
  8. ↑ "Curtisite" page at the Mindat.org online database. Accessed on 2020-08-28.
  9. ↑ F. E. Wright and E. T. Allen (1925): "Curtisite, a new organic mineral from Skaggs Springs, Sonoma County, California (abstract)" American Mineralogist, volume 11, pages 67-67.
  10. 1 2 3 4 F. E. Wright and E. T. Allen (1930): "Curtisite, a new organic mineral from Skaggs Springs, Sonoma County, California". American Mineralogist, volume 15, pages 169-173.
  11. ↑ Frank, Otakar; Jehlička, Jan; Edwards, Howell G.M. (December 2007). "Raman spectroscopy as tool for the characterization of thio-polyaromatic hydrocarbons in organic minerals". Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy. 68 (4): 1065–1069. Bibcode:2007AcSpA..68.1065F. doi:10.1016/j.saa.2006.12.033. PMID   17307383.
  12. ↑ T. A. Geissman, K. Y. Sun, and J. Murdoch (1967): "Organic minerals. Picine and chrysene as constituents of the mineral Curtisite (idrialite)". Experentia, volume 23, pages 793-794.
  13. ↑ Thomson, Thomas (1838). Chemistry of Organic Bodies: Vegetables. Maclachlan & Stewart. p. 748.
  14. ↑ Goldschmidt, G. (1879). Watts, Henry (ed.). Journal of the Chemical Society. The Chemical Society of Great Britain. p. 167.
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