Vauquelinite | |
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General | |
Category | Phosphate mineral |
Formula (repeating unit) | CuPb2(CrO4)(PO4)(OH) |
IMA symbol | Vql [1] |
Strunz classification | 7.FC.05 |
Crystal system | Monoclinic |
Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
Space group | P21/n |
Unit cell | a = 13.754(5) Å, b = 5.806(6) Å c = 9.563(3) Å; β = 94.55°; Z = 4 |
Identification | |
Color | Olive-green, apple-green, brown to nearly black |
Crystal habit | Irregular wedge shaped crystals, mammillary, reniform masses |
Twinning | Present on {102} |
Cleavage | Indistinct |
Fracture | Irregular |
Tenacity | Brittle |
Mohs scale hardness | 2.5 – 3 |
Luster | Adamantine, resinous |
Streak | Greenish or brownish |
Diaphaneity | Translucent |
Specific gravity | 6.16 |
Optical properties | Biaxial (−) |
Refractive index | nα = 2.110 nβ = 2.220 nγ = 2.220 |
Birefringence | δ = 0.110 |
Pleochroism | X = Light green, Y = Light brown, Z = Light brown |
2V angle | Near zero |
References | [2] [3] [4] |
Vauquelinite is a complex mineral with the formula Cu Pb 2(Cr O 4)(PO4)(OH) making it a combined chromate and phosphate of copper and lead. It forms a series with the arsenate mineral fornacite. [2]
It was first described in 1818 in the Beryozovskoye deposit, Urals, Russia, and named for Louis Vauquelin (1763–1829), a French chemist. [2] It occurs in oxidized hydrothermal ore deposits and is associated with crocoite, pyromorphite, mimetite, cerussite, beudantite and duftite at the type locality in Russia. [4]
Pyrophyllite is a phyllosilicate mineral composed of aluminium silicate hydroxide: Al2Si4O10(OH)2. It occurs in two forms (habits): crystalline folia and compact masses; distinct crystals are not known.
Diaspore – also called diasporite, empholite, kayserite, or tanatarite – is an aluminium hydroxide oxide mineral, α-AlO(OH), crystallizing in the orthorhombic system and isomorphous with goethite. It occurs sometimes as flattened crystals, but usually as lamellar or scaly masses, the flattened surface being a direction of perfect cleavage on which the lustre is markedly pearly in character. It is colorless or greyish-white, yellowish, sometimes violet in color, and varies from translucent to transparent. It may be readily distinguished from other colorless transparent minerals with a perfect cleavage and pearly luster by its greater hardness of 6.5–7. Its specific gravity is 3.4. When heated before the blowpipe, it decrepitates violently, breaking up into white pearly scales.
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. Copper (Cu2+) gives aurichalcite its green-blue colors.
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.
Cotunnite is the natural mineral form of lead(II) chloride (PbCl2). Unlike the pure compound, which is white, cotunnite can be white, yellow, or green. The density of mineral samples spans range 5.3–5.8 g/cm3. The hardness on the Mohs scale is 1.5–2. The crystal structure is orthorhombic dipyramidal and the point group is 2/m 2/m 2/m. Each Pb has a coordination number of 9. Cotunnite occurs near volcanoes: Vesuvius, Italy; Tarapacá, Chile; and Tolbachik, Russia.
Hauerite is a sulfide mineral in the pyrite group. It is the mineral form of Manganese(IV) disulfide MnS2. It forms reddish brown or black octahedral crystals with the pyrite structure and it is usually found associated with the sulfides of other transition metals such as rambergite. It occurs in low temperature, sulfur rich environments associated with solfataras and salt deposits in association with native sulfur, realgar, gypsum and calcite.
Crocoite is a mineral consisting of lead chromate, PbCrO4, and crystallizing in the monoclinic crystal system. It is identical in composition with the artificial product chrome yellow used as a paint pigment.
Fornacite is a rare lead, copper chromate arsenate hydroxide mineral with the formula: Pb2Cu(CrO4)(AsO4)(OH). It forms a series with the phosphate mineral vauquelinite. It forms variably green to yellow, translucent to transparent crystals in the monoclinic – prismatic crystal system. It has a Mohs hardness of 2.3 and a specific gravity of 6.27.
Nahcolite is a soft, colourless or white carbonate mineral with the composition of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) also called thermokalite. It crystallizes in the monoclinic system.
Indite is an extremely rare indium-iron sulfide mineral, found in Siberia. Its chemical formula is FeIn2S4.
Vulcanite is a rare copper telluride mineral. The mineral has a metallic luster, and has a green or bronze-yellow tint. It has a hardness between 1 and 2 on the Mohs scale. Its crystal structure is orthorhombic.
Patrónite is the vanadium sulfide mineral with formula VS4. The material is usually described as V4+(S22−)2. Structurally, it is a "linear-chain" compound with alternating bonding and nonbonding contacts between the vanadium centers. The vanadium is octa-coordinated, which is an uncommon geometry for this metal.
Bystrite is a silicate mineral with the formula (Na,K)7Ca(Si6Al6)O24S4.5•(H2O), and a member of the cancrinite mineral group. It is a hexagonal crystal, with a 3m point group. The mineral may have been named after the Malaya Bystraya deposits in Russia, where it was found.
Tsumebite is a rare phosphate mineral named in 1912 after the locality where it was first found, the Tsumeb mine in Namibia, well known to mineral collectors for the wide range of minerals found there. Tsumebite is a compound phosphate and sulfate of lead and copper, with hydroxyl, formula Pb2Cu(PO4)(SO4)(OH). There is a similar mineral called arsentsumebite, where the phosphate group PO4 is replaced by the arsenate group AsO4, giving the formula Pb2Cu(AsO4)(SO4)(OH). Both minerals are members of the brackebuschite group.
Vladimirite is a rare calcium arsenate mineral with a formula of Ca5(HAsO4)2(AsO4)2·5H2O. It is named after the Vladimirovskoye deposit in Russia, where it was discovered in the 1950s.
Kostovite (IMA symbol: Ktv) is a rare orthorhombic-pyramidal gray white telluride mineral containing copper and gold with chemical formula AuCuTe4.
Strashimirite is a rare monoclinic mineral containing arsenic, copper, hydrogen, and oxygen. It has the chemical formula Cu8(AsO4)4(OH)4·5(H2O).
Serandite is a mineral with formula Na(Mn2+,Ca)2Si3O8(OH). The mineral was discovered in Guinea in 1931 and named for J. M. Sérand. Serandite is generally red, brown, black or colorless. The correct name lacks an accent.
Hemihedrite is a rare lead zinc chromate silicate mineral with formula Pb10Zn(CrO4)6(SiO4)2(F,OH)2. It forms a series with the copper analogue iranite.
Bilibinskite is an Au – Cu – Pb telluride. It is a rare mineral that was named after Soviet geologist Yuri Bilibin (1901–1952), who researched the geology of gold deposits during the time of the USSR.