Berzelianite

Berzelianite

Berzelianite included in calcite from the Skrikerum mine in Sweden.
General
Category Selenide minerals
Formula
(repeating unit)		 Cu2Se
Strunz classification 2.BA.20
Dana classification 2.4.10.1
Crystal system Isometric
Identification
Color Silvery white, tarnishes easily
Crystal habit Dendritic crusts, fine-grained inclusions
Cleavage None
Fracture Uneven
Tenacity Slightly malleable
Mohs scale hardness 2.7
Luster Metallic
Streak Shining
Diaphaneity Opaque
Density 6.71 (measured) 7.28 (calculated)
Ultraviolet fluorescence None
Common impurities Ag
References

Berzelianite is a rare copper selenide mineral with the formula Cu2Se.[1][2][3] It occurs as thin dendritic crusts or as fine-grained inclusions. It crystallizes in the isometric system,[4][5][6] unlike its dimorph, bellidoite, which crystallizes in the tetragonal system.[7] The crystals are opaque and slightly malleable.

Occurrence & Name

Berzelianite was first identified Skrikerum Mine (also spelled as Skrickerum Mine), Valdemarsvik, Östergötland, Sweden in 1850. It was named after Jöns Jakob Berzelius, a swedish chemist who is seen as the father of analytical chemistry, he invented chemical symbol notation and discovered the elements cerium, selenium, silicon, and thorium.[5]It often occurs together with eucairite, clausthalite, tiemannite, umangite, klockmannite, aguilarite, crookesite, athabascaite, stromeyerite, polybasite, pearceite, gold, uraninite, pyrite, marcasite, calcite.

See also

References

  1. ↑ I.Y. Nekrasov (1 January 1996). Geochemistry, Mineralogy and Genesis of Gold Deposits. CRC Press. p. 238. ISBN 978-90-5410-723-1.
  2. ↑ Stephen B. Castor; Gregory C. Ferdock (2004). Minerals of Nevada. University of Nevada Press. p. 163. ISBN 978-0-87417-540-0.
  3. ↑ Bernhard Pracejus (25 June 2015). The Ore Minerals Under the Microscope: An Optical Guide. Elsevier Science. p. 202. ISBN 978-0-444-62737-7.
  4. ↑ "Handbook of mineralogy Berzelianite" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 "Berzelianite: Berzelianite mineral information and data.". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  6. ↑ Barthelmy, Dave. "Berzelianite Mineral Data". www.webmineral.com. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  7. ↑ "Bellidoite: Bellidoite mineral information and data.". www.mindat.org. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/22/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.