Bismuthinite

• Bismutin
• Bismuthinite

Bismuthinite, outdated also known as bismuth glance and under its chemical name bismuth ( III ) sulfide, is a commonly occurring mineral from the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts ." It crystallizes in the orthorhombic crystal system with the chemical composition Bi2S3, and thus consists of bismuth and sulfur in the ratio 2: 3

Bismuthinite is opaque in any form and develops rarely euhedral, acicular to prismatic crystals, up to 12 inches may be large, however. He usually can be found in the form dünnblättriger, fibrous or massive mineral aggregates of lead- gray color and metallic luster to zinnweißer. By the time Bismuthinite can start yellowish or colorful iridescent.

With stibnite ( stibnite, Sb2S3 ) Bismuthinite forms a solid solution series.

Special Features

Bismuthinite is readily soluble in hot nitric acid (HNO3). The solution is cloudy with the addition of water.

Due to its low melting point of 685 ° melts Bismuthinite already in a candle flame.

Etymology and history

A first mention of the mineral is found already in 1758 the Mineralogical records of Axel Frederic CRONSTEDT ( 1722-1765 ), however, there under the name " visimutum sulphure mineralisatum ". 1789 Abraham Gottlob Werner coined the term " bismuth glance " and 1832 chose François Sulpice Beudant the name " bismuthine " (French bismuthine ) due to the contained element bismuth ( bismuth French ).

In German, the 'h' was retained, although really unnecessary after the neo-Latin name Bismutum, but the 1868 James Dwight Dana chosen notation Bismuthinite (English bismuthinite ) began with the uniform for most mineral names -it Notes by.

Due to the similar spelling but there is a likelihood of confusion with the bismuth oxide and bismuth untilWed Bismutite.

Classification

In the 8th edition of the now outdated Strunz'schen Mineral classification of Bismuthinite belongs to the department of " sulfides and sulfosalts with the molar ratio of metal: sulfur, selenium, tellurium <1: 1", where he, along with Antimonselit, Guanajuatit, Metastibnite, Ottemannit Pääkkönenit and stibnite the unnamed group II/D.08 formed.

The 9th edition valid since 2001 and of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) used the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the Bismuthinite other hand, in the department of " metal sulfides with the molar ratio M: S = 3: 4 and 2: 3". This is also further subdivided by the exact molar ratio of metal and sulfur, so that the mineral according to its composition in the subsection "M: S = 2: 3," is to find where it together with Antimonselit, Guanajuatit, Metastibnite and stibnite the " Stibnitgruppe "with the system number. 2.DB.05a forms.

The commonly used in English-speaking classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the Bismuthinite also in the class of sulfides, there, however, in the department of " sulfides - including selenides and tellurides - with the composition AmBnXp, with (m n): p = 2: 3 ". Here it forms together with the Leitmineral stibnite and the other members Antimonselit and Guanajuatit the " Stibnitgruppe ( Orthorhombic: Pbnm ) " with the system no. 2:11:02.

Education and Locations

Bismuthinite usually forms in low - to high-grade hydrothermal veins, but can also occur in pneumatolytic cassiterite wolframite deposits or as Exhalationsprodukt volcanic gases. Accompanying minerals can occur among other native bismuth, aikinite, arsenopyrite, stannite, galena, pyrite, quartz, chalcopyrite and tourmaline.

As a frequent mineral formation Bismuthinite is found in many localities, where so far (as of 2013) about 1600 localities as are known. On the surface Bismuthinite is, however, little resistant and stretches after some time with an earthy, yellowish layer of untilWed ( bismuth ocher ) or converts to Bismutite ( Wismutspat ).

In Germany Bismuthinite has been found in many places in the Black Forest, so including in the mining area Wittichen and in the pits and Clara Wenzel at Oberwolfach. Many localities are also known in the Saxon Erzgebirge such as, among others, Annaberg -Buchholz, Johann George Town and Neustädtel (Snow Mountain ). Furthermore, the mineral became apparent in Bavaria ( Fichtelgebirge), Hesse (Odenwald ), Lower Saxony and Saxony- Anhalt ( resin ), North Rhine -Westphalia and Rhineland -Palatinate (winner land) and Thuringia in various mines and quarries.

Known due to exceptional Bismuthinitfunde include Tasna (Province Nor chichas ) Huanuni and Llallagua in Bolivia, where well-developed crystals of about five centimeters in length were revealed. Also from Redruth in Cornwall (England) knows you well-developed crystals.

In Austria Bismuthinite could, among other things at the hut Erzberg, at several places in the Goldberg group and Pöllatal in Carinthia and in many places in the Hohe Tauern ( Gastein, Habachtal ) in Salzburg and in some places in Styria ( Brunngraben, Schlossberg, zinc wall ) be found.

In Switzerland, you know the mineral inter alia from the Bergell (Val Bregaglia ) in the canton of Grisons, the municipality of Alto Malcantone in the canton of Ticino, as well as from the Val d' Anniviers and the Binn Valley in the canton of Valais.

Other localities lie include Afghanistan, Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Chile, China, France, Greece, Greenland, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Madagascar, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, Spain, South Africa, Tajikistan, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom ( England, Scotland, Wales) and the United States of America (Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, California and other ).

Even in rock samples from the East Pacific Rise Bismuthinite could be detected.

Crystal structure

Bismuthinite crystallizes isotypic with stibnite in the orthorhombic crystal system, space group Pbnm ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 62) with the lattice parameters a = 11.59 Å; b = 11.75 Å and c = 3.40 Å and four formula units per unit cell.

Use

Because of its relative abundance and its bismuth content of up to 81% Bismuthinite serves as raw material for the production of elemental bismuth.