| Azurite | |
|---|---|
 Azurite from New Nevada lode, La Sal, Utah, USA | |
| General | |
| Category | Carbonate mineral |
| Formula (repeating unit) | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2 |
| IMA symbol | Azu[1] |
| Strunz classification | 5.BA.05 |
| Crystal system | Monoclinic |
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m) (same H-M symbol) |
| Space group | P21/c |
| Unit cell | a = 5.01 Å, b = 5.85 Å c = 10.35 Å; β = 92.43°; Z = 2 |
| Identification | |
| Formula mass | 344.67 g/mol |
| Color | Azure-blue, dark to pale blue; pale blue in transmitted light |
| Crystal habit | Massive, prismatic, stalactitic, tabular |
| Twinning | Rare, twin planes {101}, {102} or {001} |
| Cleavage | Perfect on {011}, fair on {100}, poor on {110} |
| Fracture | Conchoidal |
| Tenacity | brittle |
| Mohs scale hardness | 3.5 to 4 |
| Luster | Vitreous |
| Streak | Light blue |
| Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent |
| Specific gravity | 3.773 (measured), 3.78 (calculated) |
| Optical properties | Biaxial (+) |
| Refractive index | nα = 1.730 nβ = 1.758 nγ = 1.838 |
| Birefringence | δ = 0.108 |
| Pleochroism | Visible shades of blue |
| 2V angle | Measured: 68°, calculated: 64° |
| Dispersion | relatively weak |
| References | [2][3][4] |
Azurite or Azure spar[5]: 14 is a soft, deep-blue copper mineral produced by weathering of copper ore deposits. During the early 19th century, it was also known as chessylite, after the type locality at Chessy-les-Mines near Lyon, France.[3] The mineral, a basic carbonate with the chemical formula Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, has been known since ancient times, and was mentioned in Pliny the Elder's Natural History under the Greek name kuanos (κυανός: "deep blue," root of English cyan) and the Latin name caeruleum.[6] Copper (Cu2+) gives it its blue color.[7]
- ^ 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.
- ^ Handbook of Mineralogy
- ^ a b Mindat.org
- ^ Webmineral.com Webmineral Data
- ^ Krivovichev V. G. Mineralogical glossary. Scientific editor A. G. Bulakh. — St.Petersburg: St.Petersburg Univ. Publ. House. 2009. — 556 p. — ISBN 978-5-288-04863-0. (in Russian)
- ^ The Ancient Library: Smith, Dictionary of Greek and Roman Antiquities, p.321, right col., under BLUE Archived December 20, 2005, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Minerals Colored by Metal Ions". minerals.gps.caltech.edu. Retrieved 2023-03-01.