Valentinite

• Antimony bloom
• Antimony ( III) oxide and antimony trioxide
• Antimony White
• Weißspießglanzerz or Weißspießglaserz

Valentinite, outdated also known as antimony bloom, is a rarely occurring mineral from the mineral class of " oxides and hydroxides ". It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with the chemical composition and Sb2O3 is thus seen chemically antimony ( III) oxide.

Valentinite developed mostly tabular to prismatic crystals, but also occurs in the form strahliger, tufted fan-or star-shaped and grained to massive mineral aggregates. Uninjured crystal faces have a diamond-like luster, cleavage surfaces shimmer on the other hand rather nacreous. In its pure form valentinite is colorless and transparent. But it can also appear white and accept by foreign admixtures a gray or yellowish to brownish color by multiple refraction due to lattice defects or polycrystalline training, the transparency decreases accordingly.

With a Mohs hardness of 2.5 to 3 valentinite one of the soft to medium hard minerals that lighter than the reference mineral calcite ( 3) can be scratched with a copper coin.

Etymology and history

The final name of valentinite for the rhombic antimony coined in 1845 by Wilhelm Haidinger, who named the mineral after the medieval author of alchemical writings Basilius Valentinus. The person behind Valentinus was indeed so far not been identified, however, is among other things a well-known work on the representation of the element antimony from stibnite ( stibnite ) and " flores antimonii " written ( " chariot antimonii ", Leipzig 1604).

The mineral was known even earlier Haidinger under various synonyms such as, but Weißspießglanzerz ( according to Klaproth, 1789) or Weißspießglaserz ( according to Werner, 1789) and antimony white, which, however, are no longer in use. The coined by Karl Caesar von Leonhard 1821 term antimony bloom is, however, still performed in modern professional literature as a synonym for the valentinite, occasionally the rather uncommon term white spit shine.

As a type locality (first location ) is considered the " Mine of Chalanches " at Allemond (English Allemont ) in the French Isere department ( Rhone- Alpes).

Classification

Already in the outdated, but partly still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz was one of valentinite to the mineral class of " oxides and hydroxides " and then to the Department of " oxides with the molar ratio of metal: Oxygen = 2: 3 ( M2O3 and related compounds ) "where he along with the Claudetit ". Claudetit - valentinite group "with the system No. IV/C.01 and the other Member Auroantimonat formed.

The 9th edition valid since 2001 and of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) used the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the valentinite in the Advanced section of the " oxide with the molar ratio of metal: oxygen = 2: 3, 3: 5 and comparable " a. This is further divided according to the relative size of the cations involved, so that the mineral is found according to its composition in the subsection "With medium-sized cations ", where it forms the unnamed group 4.CB.55 the only member.

The mainly common in English-speaking classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the valentinite in the class of " oxides and hydroxides " and there in the department of " Oxidminerale " one. Here it is to find " Simple oxides with a cation charge of 3 ( A2O3 ) " as the only member of the unnamed group 04:03:11 within the subdivision.

Modifications and varieties

The connection Sb2O3 is dimorphic and is next to the orthorhombic crystallizing valentinite before as cubic crystallizing senarmontite.

Education and Locations

Valentinite forms similar to the rarer senarmontite as a secondary mineral weathering of antimony or antimony various minerals such as stibnite in the oxidation zone of ore deposits. Other accompanying minerals include Cervantite, Kermesit, Stibiconite and tetrahedrite.

As a rather rare mineral formation valentinite can indeed be abundant in part to different sites, overall it is not very common. Total so far (as of 2014) are more than 300 localities known as. Apart from its type locality " Mine of Chalanches " at Allemond and the " mine Gueydon " at Regny in the Loire department in the Rhône- Alpes, the mineral in France yet joined, among others, in the Auvergner Cantal and Haute -Loire, in the department of Finistère (Brittany ) and at some points Fund in different regions.

Known due to exceptional Valentinitfunde among other Pribram in the Czech region of Central Bohemia, where well-trained and up to three inches long crystals were found. Similarly good finds of up to two inches size were revealed in Bolivia also in the area of Oruro. Radiating aggregates with up to four centimeters in diameter is known primarily from Pezinok and Pernek in Slovakia and the most massive of pseudomorphs after stibnite valentinite of up to 35 centimeters in length were found in the antimony deposit Xikuangshan in Lengshuijiang in the Chinese province of Hunan.

In Germany the mineral previously in several places in the Black Forest as among other Ortisei and Sulzburg in Baden -Württemberg, was found in the Sauerland and winners district of North Rhine -Westphalia and in the Westerwald Rhineland -Palatinate. In addition, is still the pit " Silver Rose " in case of fire wood Goldkronach in Bavaria, the pit " Catharina Neufang " in Sankt Andreas mountain in Lower Saxony, the pits " hope" ( pit Spes ) on Martin Knipp at Ahrbrück, " Friedrichssegen " in the Lahn valley and " Carolina " on Moschellandsberg in Rhineland -Palatinate, the " Graf Jost -Christian mine " at Wolf mountain ( Sangerhausen ) in Saxony- Anhalt, the pits " New Hope of God " in Bräunsdorf ( Oberschona ) and" St. Peter " at Kottenheide-Schöneck/Vogtl. in Saxony and the quarry " Cow Mountain " at Neumühle / Elster ( district Greiz ) in Thuringia known as localities for valentinite.

In Austria valentinite has so far been found mainly Carinthia, where he performed, among others, in the area around Friesach and mountain hut, and in the mountain range of Kreuzeckgruppe. In addition, you still entered the mineral in an antimony mine in Stadtschlaining in Burgenland, in Maltern in the Lower Austrian town Hochneukirchen - Gschaidt, the weather Bauer saddle at Mixnitz and on a slag heap near Walchen (municipality Oeblarn ) in Styria and in some discovery locations in the area around Brixlegg and Schwaz in Tyrol to light.

In Switzerland, you know the mineral so far only from the Poschiavo valley in the canton of Grisons and Ticino Malcantone region.

Other localities lie among others in Algeria, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Finland, France, Greece, Greenland, Isle of Man, Italy, Japan, Canada, Kyrgyzstan, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Mexico, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom ( England, Scotland) and the United States of America (California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington).

Crystal structure

Valentinite crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pccn ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 56) with the lattice parameters a = 4.91 Å; b = 12.46 Å and c = 5.41 Å and four formula units per unit cell.

The crystal structure of valentinite consists of SbO3 - molecules via shared oxygen atoms linked together to form chains parallel to the c-axis. The chains are connected only by weak van der Waals and Coulomb forces and the distances between them are relatively large, which is also the reason for the low hardness and perfect cleavage of the mineral.

Use

Valentinite found only in local accumulation along with stibnite use as antimony.