| Arthurite | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General | |
| Category | Arsenate minerals |
| Formula (repeating unit) | CuFe23+[(OH,O)(AsO4,PO4,SO4)]2·4H2O |
| IMA symbol | Atu[1] |
| Strunz classification | 8.DC.15 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | P21/c |
| Unit cell | a = 10.189(2), b = 9.649(2) c = 5.598(1) [Å] β = 92.16(2)°; Z = 2 |
| Identification | |
| Color | Apple-green to bluish-green |
| Crystal habit | Acicular, prismatic, spherical |
| Mohs scale hardness | 3–4 |
| Luster | vitreous |
| Streak | not reported |
| Density | D(measured) = ~3.2 D(calculated) = 3.29 |
| Optical properties | Biaxial (+), may be biaxial (–) |
| Pleochroism | X = colorless to pale green; Y = gray-green; Z = olive-green |
| 2V angle | ~90° |
| Dispersion | r > v |
| Absorption spectra | Z > Y > X. α = 1.736 β = 1.767 γ = 1.796 |
| Other characteristics | Opacity: transparent to translucent |
Arthurite is a mineral composed of divalent copper and iron ions in combination with trivalent arsenate, phosphate and sulfate ions with hydrogen and oxygen.[2] Initially discovered by Sir Arthur Russell in 1954 at Hingston Down Consols mine in Calstock, Cornwall, England,[3] arthurite is formed as a resultant mineral in the oxidation region of some copper deposits by the variation of enargite or arsenopyrite.[2] The chemical formula of Arthurite is CuFe23+(AsO4,PO4,SO4)2(O,OH)2·4H2O.[4]
Arthurite is named after Arthur W. G. Kingsbury (1906–1968), a British mineralogist, and Sir Arthur Russell (1878–1964), a collector of minerals.
- ^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
- ^ a b Frost R. L., Duong L., Martens W. (2003) Molecular assembly in secondary minerals – Raman spectroscopy of the arthurite group species arthurite and whitmoreite. Neues Jahrbuch für Mineralogie, Monatshefte, 2003, 223–240.
- ^ Davis, R. J. & Hey, M. H. (1964) Arthurite, a new copper-iron arsenate from Cornwall. Mineralogical Magazine, 33, 937–941.
- ^ Palmer, S.J., Frost R.L. (2011) The structure of the mineral arthurite CuFe23+(AsO4,PO4,SO4)2(O,OH)2·4H2O – A Raman spectroscopic study. Journal of Molecular Structure, 994, 283–288.