The Lavendulan group is a grouping of minerals containing copper and Chloride bearing arsenate and phosphate minerals.
Members of the Lavendulan group include: [1]
Phosphate minerals are minerals that contain the tetrahedrally coordinated phosphate anion, sometimes with arsenate and vanadate substitutions, along with chloride (Cl−), fluoride (F−), and hydroxide (OH−) anions, that also fit into the crystal structure.
The arsenate is an ion with the chemical formula AsO3−4. Bonding in arsenate consists of a central arsenic atom, with oxidation state +5, double bonded to one oxygen atom and single bonded to a further three oxygen atoms. The four oxygen atoms orient around the arsenic atom in a tetrahedral geometry. Resonance disperses the ion's −3 charge across all four oxygen atoms.
Arsenic acid or arsoric acid is the chemical compound with the formula H3AsO4. More descriptively written as AsO(OH)3, this colorless acid is the arsenic analogue of phosphoric acid. Arsenate and phosphate salts behave very similarly. Arsenic acid as such has not been isolated, but is only found in solution, where it is largely ionized. Its hemihydrate form (2H3AsO4·H2O) does form stable crystals. Crystalline samples dehydrate with condensation at 100 °C.
In chemistry an antimonate is a compound which contains a metallic element, oxygen, and antimony in an oxidation state of +5. These compounds adopt polymeric structures with M-O-Sb linkages. They can be considered to be derivatives of the hypothetical antimonic acid H3SbO4, or combinations of metal oxides and antimony pentoxide, Sb2O5.
Arsenate minerals usually refer to the naturally occurring orthoarsenates, possessing the (AsO4)3− anion group and, more rarely, other arsenates with anions like AsO3(OH)2− (also written HAsO42−) (example: pharmacolite Ca(AsO3OH).2H2O) or (very rarely) [AsO2(OH)2]− (example: andyrobertsite). Arsenite minerals are much less common. Both the Dana and the Strunz mineral classifications place the arsenates in with the phosphate minerals.
Tyrolite is a hydrous calcium copper arsenate carbonate mineral with the formula CaCu5(AsO4)2CO3(OH)4⋅6H2O. Tyrolite forms glassy, blue to green orthorhombic radial crystals and botryoidal masses. It has a Mohs hardness of 1.5–2.0 and a specific gravity of 3.1–3.2. It is translucent with refractive indices of nα = 1.694, nβ = 1.726, and nγ = 1.730.
Calcium arsenate is the inorganic compound with the formula Ca3(AsO4)2. A colourless salt, it was originally used as a pesticide and as a germicide. It is highly soluble in water, in contrast to lead arsenate, which makes it more toxic. Two minerals are hydrates of calcium arsenate: rauenthalite Ca3(AsO4)2·10H2O and phaunouxite Ca3(AsO4)2·11H2O. A related mineral is ferrarisite (Ca5H2(AsO4)4·9H2O.
Sodium arsenate is the inorganic compound with the formula Na3AsO4. Related salts are also called sodium arsenate, including Na2HAsO4 (disodium hydrogen arsenate) and NaH2AsO4 (sodium dihydrogen arsenate). The trisodium salt is a white or colourless solid that is highly toxic. It is usually handled as the dodecahydrate Na3AsO4.12H2O.
Duftite is a relatively common arsenate mineral with the formula CuPb(AsO4)(OH), related to conichalcite. It is green and often forms botryoidal aggregates. It is a member of the adelite-descloizite Group, Conichalcite-Duftite Series. Duftite and conichalcite specimens from Tsumeb are commonly zoned in color and composition. Microprobe analyses and X-ray powder-diffraction studies indicate extensive substitution of Zn for Cu, and Ca for Pb in the duftite structure. This indicates a solid solution among conichalcite, CaCu(AsO4 )(OH), austinite, CaZn(AsO4)(OH) and duftite PbCu(AsO4)(OH), all of them belonging to the adelite group of arsenates. It was named after Mining Councilor G Duft, Director of the Otavi Mine and Railroad Company, Tsumeb, Namibia. The type locality is the Tsumeb Mine, Tsumeb, Otjikoto Region, Namibia.
Ashburtonite is a rare lead copper silicate-bicarbonate mineral with formula: HPb4Cu2+4Si4O12(HCO3)4(OH)4Cl.
Lavendulan is an uncommon arsenate mineral in the lavendulan group. It is known for its characteristic intense electric blue colour. Lavendulan is very similar to Lemanskiite, the analogue trihydrate mineral, to the point of them being considered dimorphs. Lemanskiite is tetragonal, but lavendulan is monoclinic. Lavendulan has the same structure as sampleite, and the two minerals form a series. It is the calcium analogue of zdenĕkite and the arsenate analogue of sampleite.
Cornubite is a rare secondary copper arsenate mineral with formula: Cu5(AsO4)2(OH)4. It was first described for its discovery in 1958 in Wheal Carpenter, Gwinear, Cornwall, England, UK. The name is from Cornubia, the medieval Latin name for Cornwall. It is a dimorph of cornwallite, and the arsenic analogue of pseudomalachite.
This list gives an overview of the classification of non-silicate minerals and includes mostly International Mineralogical Association (IMA) recognized minerals and its groupings. This list complements the List of minerals recognized by the International Mineralogical Association series of articles and List of minerals. Rocks, ores, mineral mixtures, not IMA approved minerals, not named minerals are mostly excluded. Mostly major groups only, or groupings used by New Dana Classification and Mindat.
This list gives an overview of the classification of minerals (silicates) and includes mostly International Mineralogical Association (IMA) recognized minerals and its groupings. This list complements the List of minerals recognized by the International Mineralogical Association series of articles and List of minerals. Rocks, ores, mineral mixtures, non-IMA approved minerals and non-named minerals are mostly excluded.
Warikahnite is a rare zinc arsenate mineral of the triclinic crystal system with Hermann-Mauguin notation 1, belonging to the space group P1. It occurs in the Tsumeb mine in Namibia on corroded tennantite in the second oxidation zone under hydrothermal conditions in a dolomite-hosted polymetallic ore deposit. It is associated with adamite, stranskiite, koritnigite, claudetite, tsumcorite, and ludlockite. The origin of discovery was in a dolomite ore formation within an oxidized hydrothermal zone, in the E9 pillar, 31st level of the Tsumeb Mine in Namibia, Southwest Africa. It has also been found at Lavrion, Greece and Plaka, Greece as microscopic white needles.
Pharmacolite is an uncommon calcium arsenate mineral with formula CaHAsO4·2(H2O). It occurs as soft, white clusters of fibrous crystals and encrustations which crystallize in the monoclinic system. It is the arsenate analogue of the sulfate gypsum and the phosphate brushite.
Cornwallite is an uncommon copper arsenate mineral with formula Cu5(AsO4)2(OH)4. It forms a series with the phosphate pseudomalachite and is a dimorph of the triclinic cornubite. It is a green monoclinic mineral which forms as radial to fibrous encrustations.
Aluminium arsenate is an inorganic compound with the formula AlAsO4. It is most commonly found as an octahydrate. It is a colourless solid that is produced by the reaction between sodium arsenate and a soluble aluminium salt. Aluminium arsenate occurs naturally as the mineral mansfieldite. Anhydrous form is known as an extremely rare, fumarolic mineral alarsite A synthetic hydrate of aluminium arsenate is produced by hydrothermal method. with the formulation Al2O3·3As2O5·10H2O.
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.