Sulfosalt minerals are sulfide minerals with the general formula AmBnXp, where
- A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron, and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium
- B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth, and rarely germanium, or metals like tin and rarely vanadium
- X is sulfur or rarely selenium and/or tellurium.[1]
The Strunz classification includes the sulfosalts in a sulfides and sulfosalts superclass.[1] A group which have similar appearing formulas are the sulfarsenides (for example cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS). In sulfarsenides the arsenic substitutes for sulfide anions whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for a metal cation.[2]
About 200 sulfosalt minerals are known. Examples include:[3]
-
As illustrated by this specimen of proustite, sulfosalt minerals are often deeply colored.
_-_Chanarcillo,_Copiapo_Province,_Atacama_Region,_Chile.jpg)
- A3BX3 type
- Pyrargyrite Ag3SbS3
- Proustite Ag3AsS3
- Tetrahedrite Cu12Sb4S13
- Tennantite Cu12As4S13
- A3BX4 type
- Enargite Cu3AsS4
- Sulvanite Cu3VS4
- Samsonite Ag4MnSb2S6
- Geocronite Pb14(Sb,As)6S23
- Gratonite Pb9As4S15
- A2BX3 type
- Bournonite PbCuSbS3
- Seligmannite PbCuAsS3
- Aikinite PbCuBiS3
- ABX2 type
- Boulangerite Pb5Sb4S11
- Matildite AgBiS2
- Smithite AgAsS2
- Chalcostibite CuSbS2
- Emplectite CuBiS2
- Teallite PbSnS2
- A2B2X5 type
- Ramdohrite Ag3Pb6Sb11S24
- Jamesonite Pb4FeSb6S14
- Cosalite Pb2Bi2S5
- A2B3X6 type
- Andorite PbAgSb3S6
- Lindstromite Pb3Cu3Bi7S15
- AB2X4 type
- Zinkenite Pb9Sb22S42
- Berthierite FeSb2S4
- Cylindrite Pb3Sn4FeSb2S14
- ^ a b "Strunz classification of sulfides and sulfosalts". Mindat.
- ^ Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius S. Hurlbut (1985). Manual of Mineralogy, 20th ed., John Wiley and Sons, New York ISBN 0-471-80580-7.
- ^ Palache, C., H. Berman, and C. Frondel (1944). Dana’s System of Mineralogy, (7th edition), v. I, pp. 348–350