User:Aaron.Giles14/ReineriteDraft
Reinerite is a rare arsenite (arsenate(III)) mineral. [1][2]
Reinerite | |
---|---|
General | |
Category | arsenite |
Formula (repeating unit) | Reinerite Zn3(AsO3)24 |
Crystal system | Orthorhombic Dipyramidal 2/m 2/m 2/m |
Space group | Orthorhombic 2/m 2/m 2/m |
Unit cell | a = 6.092 , b= 14.407 , c= 7.811, Z=4, V = 685.55, ratio = a:b:c = 0.423 : 1 : 0.542 |
Identification | |
Color | Sky Blue, Yellow Green |
Cleavage | {110}, {011} and {111} |
Mohs scale hardness | 5 - 5.5 |
Luster | Nonmetalic Glassy/ Vitreous |
Density | 4.27 |
Optical properties | Biaxial (-) |
Refractive index | nα = 1.740 nβ = 1.790 nγ = 1.820 |
Birefringence | Maxium δ = 0.080 |
References | [3][4][5][6] |
Composition
[edit]Reinerite has the chemical formula Zn3(AsO3)2. These elements are zinc, arsenic and oxygen; the composition breakdown of these elements is: 44.38% zinc, 33.90% arsenic, and 21.72% oxygen .
Physical Properties
[edit]Reinerite is most commonly found as a sky blue colored mineral, however, it may also be a light yellowish green color. Reinerite has a relative hardness of 5 to 5.5 on the Mohs Scale which is equivilant to that of a knife blade and or shard of glass. It has a density of 4.27 gm/cm3, [7] and it exhibits a nonmetalic luster that may be described as glassy or vitreous.[8]
Environment
[edit]Reinerite develops in dolostone-hosted locations. It is known especially from Namibia, Africa, within the mines of Tsumeb. At the Tsumeb location, Reinerite develops within the polymetallic lead-zinc-copper deposit, 800 m below the surface, in the second oxidation zone. [9]
Crystallography
[edit]Reinerite has the crystalline structure Orthorhombic
History
[edit]Reinerite was named for Senior Chemist Willy Reiner (1895-1965) at Tsumeb Corporation, who analyzed this mineral. [10]
References
[edit]- ^ http://www.mindat.org/min-3386.html Mindat
- ^ http://rruff.geo.arizona.edu/doclib/hom/reinerite.pdf Handbook of Mineralogy
- ^ [1]
- ^ [2]
- ^ [3]
- ^ http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM62/AM62_1129.pdf
- ^ http://webmineral.com/data/Reinerite.shtml
- ^ Lutgens, Frederick, and Edward Tarbuck. Essentials of Geology. 10th. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009. 42. Print.
- ^ http://www.minsocam.org/ammin/AM62/AM62_1129.pdf
- ^ http://webmineral.com/data/Reinerite.shtml