Paratacamite | |
---|---|
General | |
Category | Halide mineral |
Formula (repeating unit) | Cu3(Cu,Zn)(OH)6Cl2 |
IMA symbol | Pata [1] |
Strunz classification | III / D.01-55 |
Crystal system | Trigonal |
Crystal class | Rhombohedral |
Unit cell | a = 13,654, c = 14,041; |
Identification | |
Formula mass | 58.433 g/mol |
Color | Green |
Cleavage | Very good |
Fracture | Conchoidal |
Mohs scale hardness | 3 |
Luster | Vitreous |
Streak | Green |
Diaphaneity | Transparent |
Specific gravity | 3.74 |
Density | 3.74g/cm3 |
Solubility | Acid-soluble |
References | [2] |
Paratacamite is a mineral in the halide minerals category. Its chemical formula is Cu3(Cu,Zn)(OH)6Cl2. Its name is derived from its association with atacamite. Paratacamite was first described by Herbert Smith in 1906. [3] The zincian endmember Cu3(Zn)(OH)6Cl2 is called herbertsmithite, and paratacamite is polymorphous with botallackite and atacamite. [4]
It has been found in Chile, Botallack Mine in Cornwall, Broken Hill, Australia, and in Italy at Capo Calamita on the island of Elba. [2]
Atacamite is a copper halide mineral: a copper(II) chloride hydroxide with formula Cu2Cl(OH)3. It was first described for deposits in the Atacama Desert of Chile in 1802 by Dmitri de Gallitzin. The Atacama Desert is also the namesake of the mineral.
Volborthite is a mineral containing copper and vanadium, with the formula Cu3V2O7(OH)2·2H2O. Found originally in 1838 in the Urals, it was first named knaufite but was later changed to volborthite for Alexander von Volborth (1800–1876), a Russian paleontologist.
Zincobotryogen is a hydrous sulfate mineral with the chemical formula (Zn,Mg,Mn)Fe3+(SO4)2(OH)·7H2O. It forms bright orange red monoclinic prismatic crystals that exhibit a vitreous to greasy luster. Its specific gravity is 2.201 and it has a Mohs hardness of 2.5.
Herbertsmithite is a rhombohedral green-coloured mineral with chemical formula ZnCu3(OH)6Cl2. It is named after the mineralogist Herbert Smith (1872–1953) and was first found in 1972 in Chile. It is polymorphous with kapellasite and closely related to paratacamite. Herbertsmithite has also been found near Anarak, Iran, hence its other name, anarakite.
George Frederick Herbert Smith CBE was a British mineralogist who worked for the British Museum. He discovered the mineral paratacamite in 1906, and developed a jeweller's refractometer for the rapid identification of gems. The minerals smithite and herbertsmithite are named after him, as is Herbert's rock-wallaby.
Botallackite, chemical formula Cu2(OH)3Cl is a secondary copper mineral, named for its type locality at the Botallack Mine, St Just in Penwith, Cornwall. It is polymorphous with atacamite, paratacamite and clinoatacamite.
Xocomecatlite is a rare tellurate mineral with formula: Cu3(TeO4)(OH)4. It is an orthorhombic mineral which occurs as aggregates or spherules of green needlelike crystals.
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.
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.
Calumetite is a natural rarely occurring mineral. It was discovered in 1963 at the Centennial Mine near Calumet, Michigan, United States. Calumetite was first discovered along with anthonyite. It has a chemical formula of Cu(OH,Cl)
2•2(H
2O).
Ashburtonite is a rare lead copper silicate-bicarbonate mineral with formula: HPb4Cu2+4Si4O12(HCO3)4(OH)4Cl.
Dicopper chloride trihydroxide refers to the compound with chemical formula Cu2(OH)3Cl. It is often referred to as tribasic copper chloride (TBCC), copper trihydroxyl chloride or copper hydroxychloride. This greenish substance is encountered as the minerals atacamite, paratacamite, and botallackite. Similar materials are assigned to green solids formed upon corrosion of various copper objectss.
In condensed matter physics, a quantum spin liquid is a phase of matter that can be formed by interacting quantum spins in certain magnetic materials. Quantum spin liquids (QSL) are generally characterized by their long-range quantum entanglement, fractionalized excitations, and absence of ordinary magnetic order.
Zinclipscombite is a dark-green to brown zinc iron phosphate mineral with the formula Zn(Fe3+)2(PO4)2(OH)2. It occurs as fibrous spheres and exhibits tetragonal crystal structure.
Diaboleite is a blue-colored mineral with formula Pb2CuCl2(OH)4. It was discovered in England in 1923 and named diaboleite, from the Greek word διά and boleite, meaning "distinct from boleite". The mineral has since been found in a number of countries.
Lindgrenite is an uncommon copper molybdate mineral with formula: Cu3(MoO4)2(OH)2. It occurs as tabular to platey monoclinic green to yellow green crystals.
Rastsveatevite is a rare mineral of the eudialyte group with the chemical formula Na27K8Ca12Fe3Zr6Si4[Si3O9]4[Si9O27]4(O,OH,H2O)6Cl2. Its structure is modular. It is only the third member of the group after andrianovite and davinciite with essential (site-dominating) potassium. Potassium and sodium enter both N4 and M2 sites. The mineral is named after Russian crystallographer Ramiza K. Rastsvetaeva.
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.
Iyoite is a very rare manganese copper chloride hydroxide mineral with the formula MnCuCl(OH)3. Iyoite is a new member of the atacamite group, and it an analogue of botallackite characterized in manganese and copper ordering. Iyoite is monoclinic (space group P21/m). It is chemically similar to misakiite. Both minerals come from the Ohku mine in the Ehime prefecture, Japan.
Euchlorine (KNaCu3(SO4)3O) is a rare emerald-green sulfate mineral found naturally occurring as a sublimate in fumaroles around volcanic eruptions. It was first discovered in fumaroles of the 1868 eruption at Mount Vesuvius in Campania, Italy by Arcangelo Scacchi. The name 'euchlorine' comes from the Greek word εΰχλωρος meaning "pale green" in reference to the mineral's color, other reported spellings include euclorina, euchlorin, and euchlorite.