Maucherite

Maucherite is a rarely occurring mineral from the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts ". It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system of the chemical composition Ni11As8 and usually develops foliated, columnar or massive mineral aggregates, as well as tabular or bipyramidal crystals of initially pink to reddish - silver-white color, which turns into a reddish platinum gray or gray copper after some time. On the dash panel leaves Mauerit a black gray line.

Special Features

Maucherite can be confused with this at a moderate training because of the similarity to Nickeline ( Rotnickelkies ) easily, especially since both minerals occur often grow together. Other cobalt and nickel minerals such as nickel - skutterudite ( chloanthite ) Rammelsbergite, skutterudite, cobaltite (cobalt gloss) or Safflorite are always clear silvery white or gray and thus differ significantly from the reddish Maucherite.

The chemical reaction to deposit metallic silver in a silver sulfate solution is at Mauerit and Nickeline same. In concentrated nitric acid Maucherite is soluble.

Etymology and history

Maucherite was named after its discoverer, the famous German mineralogist and deposit watchers Wilhelm Maucher, which in its type locality Eisleben / Saxony- Anhalt discovered the mineral in 1912 in Germany.

Maucherite was first described in 1913 by Friedrich green compact. The exact chemical composition could be determined only in 1940 by Martin Alfred Peacock ( 1898-1950 ). In addition, Peacock showed that the well-known as so-called nickel dining or Plakodin hut product consists of a corresponding to the Maucherite connection.

Classification

In the now outdated but still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz the Maucherite belonged to the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and then to the Department of " alloys and alloy-like compounds ", where he formed a distinct group with Orcelit.

The 9th edition used since 2001 and valid by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) of Strunz 's Mineral classification assigns the Maucherite also in the class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and there in the department of " alloys and alloy-like compounds " one. This division, however, is further subdivided according to the conditions prevailing in the interconnect metals, so that the mineral is found according to its composition in the subsection " nickel ( Ni) semi-metal compounds ", where it forms the unnamed group 2.AB.15 the only member.

The classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the Maucherite in the class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and there in the department of " sulfide minerals ." Here he is the only member of the unnamed group 02:16:16 within the subdivision " sulfides - tellurides and selenides, including - with different formulas " to find.

Education and Locations

Maucherite occurs in hydrothermal cobalt - nickel -arsenic deposits and there usually with anhydrite, barite, native bismuth, calcite, gypsum, manganite, Nickeline, nickel - skutterudite ( chloanthite ) and socialized to be found.

Worldwide, Maucherite so far (as of 2011) are detected in over 120 localities. In Germany, the mineral is found in addition to its type locality at Eisleben still Helbra and Niederröblingen (helmets ) in Saxony -Anhalt; at Schauinsland in Baden -Württemberg; in low -Ramstadt and Gelnhausen, Hesse; at St. Andrew mountain in Lower Saxony and in several places in the Saxon Erzgebirge. In Austria Maucherite occurred in several regions of Carinthia, Salzburg and Styria. In Switzerland, so far only the locality Turtmann in the canton of Valais known.

Other localities are Argentina, some regions in Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Finland, France, Greenland, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, several regions in Canada, Mexico, Morocco, Norway, Oman, Poland, several regions in Russia, Sweden, Zimbabwe, some regions in Spain, South Africa, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom, several regions in the United States of America ( USA) and Vietnam.

Crystal structure

Maucherite crystallized tetragonal space group P41212 ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 92) or P43212 ( Raumgruppen-Nr. 96) with the lattice parameters a = 6.87 Å and c = 21.82 Å and four formula units per unit cell.

Use

Maucherite has except as a mineral specimen no particular economic significance.