1. Kenorozhdestvenskayaite-(Fe), Ag6(Ag4Fe2)Sb4S12□: A new tetrahedrite group mineral containing a natural [Ag6]4+ cluster and its relationship to the synthetic ternary phosphide (Ag6M4P12)M 6 ′
- Author
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Qu, Kai, Sun, Weizhi, Nestola, Fabrizio, Gu, Xiangping, Yang, Zeqiang, Sima, Xianzhang, Tang, Chao, Fan, Guang, and Wang, Yanjuan
- Subjects
IRON clusters ,PHOSPHIDES ,MINERALS ,BRITTLE fractures ,PYRRHOTITE ,SPACE groups ,SILVER clusters - Abstract
[Ag
6 ]4+ clusters are extremely rare in nature (only found in Ag-rich tetrahedrite group minerals). Due to their remarkable structures and some promising applications, a few synthesis phases that contain octahedral [Ag6 ]4+ clusters have been reported. However, the kinds of natural conditions that promote the formation of subvalent hexasilver clusters in tetrahedrite group minerals are still unclear. Kenorozhdestvenskayaite-(Fe), ideally Ag6 (Ag4 Fe2 )Sb4 S12 □ is a new tetrahedrite group mineral containing a natural [Ag6 ]4+ cluster, found in the Yindongpo gold deposit, Weishancheng ore field, Henan Province, China. This new species occurs at the edges of galena crystals as anhedral grains of 2 to 20 μm in size and is associated with pyrargyrite, pyrrhotite, and siderite. Kenorozhdestvenskayaite-(Fe) is black in color with metallic luster. It is brittle with conchoidal fracture and has a calculated density of 5.329 g/cm3 . The empirical formula calculated on the basis of cation = 16 apfu isM(2) Ag6 M(1) (Ag2.41 Cu1.20 Fe1.84 Zn0.71 )Σ6.16 X(3) (Sb3.82 As0.01 )Σ3.83 S(1) S11.60 S(2) □. It is cubic, with space group I 4 3m, a = 10.7119(6) Å, V = 1229.1(2) Å3 , and Z = 2. Since kenorozhdestvenskayaite-(Fe) is a new tetrahedrite group mineral containing a natural [Ag6 ]4+ cluster, its structure is comparable to the synthetic ternary phosphide (Ag6 M4 P12 ) M 6 ′ . The presence of the unusual mineral assemblages, i.e., pyrrhotite and pyrargyrite, as well as the other keno-end-member tetrahedrites, indicates a low-fS state for the mineralization stage, probably a result of the fluid boiling process in an open system that likely contributed to the formation of S-deficient tetrahedrites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]2 - Published
- 2024
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