Renierite

Formerly Renierite

Renierite (formerly Renierite ) is a relatively rare occurring mineral from the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts ". It crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system having a chemical composition (Cu, Zn) 11Fe4 (Ge, As) 2S16 and usually develops bulky aggregates, often small crystals of bronze -brown to orange-brown metallic luster color.

Special Features

Renierite crystals fooled by polysynthetic twinning (repeated lamellar concatenation ) before the higher symmetry of the cubic crystal system. They are called crystals therefore pseudocubic. The up to 3 mm large crystals, but usually könerer in the sub - mm range appear as if tetrahedron.

Etymology and history

The mineral was named after the Belgian geologists Armand Marie Vincent Joseph Renier ( 1876-1951 ).

The first discovery was in 1928 described as small, flashy grains in a sulfidic ore from G. Thorreau and misinterpreted. He compared the material with " orange bornite ". Later misinterpretations followed and the Renierite was first described in 1948 by Johannes Franciscus correctly Vaes ( 1902-1978 ).

The originally selected by Vaes spelling Reniérite has been discredited since 2008, as the namesake without acute over the e writes ' and therefore is a superfluous diacritic.

As a type locality applies the Kipushi Mine ( coordinate 11.76944444444427.235555555556 ), formerly Prince Léopold Mine, Kipushi, Haut- Katanga Province, in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Classification

In the now outdated but still in use 8th edition of the mineral classification by Strunz the Renierite belonged to the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and then to the Department of " sulfides with the molar ratio of metal: sulfur, selenium, tellurium ≈ 1: 1" where he along with Colusite, germanite, Germanocolusit, Maikainit, Morozeviczit, Nekrasovit, Ovamboit, Polkovicit, Stibiocolusit, Sulvanit and Vinciennit the " Colusitgruppe " with the system no. II/C.10 formed.

The 9th edition valid since 2001 and of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA ) used the Strunz'schen Mineral classification assigns the Renierite in the class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and there in the department of " metal sulfides, metal: sulfur = 1: 1 ( and similar ) " a. This division, however, is further subdivided according to the dominant in the interconnect metals, so that the mineral according to its composition in the subsection " with zinc (Zn ), iron ( Fe ), copper ( Cu), silver (Ag) " can be found, where it together with Catamarcait, Hemusit, Kiddcreekit, Morozeviczit, Polkovicit and Vinciennit the " Hemusitgruppe " with the system no. 2.CB.35.a forms.

The mainly common in English-speaking classification of minerals according to Dana assigns the Renierite into the class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " and there in the department of " sulfide minerals ." Here he is with germanite, Maikainit and Ovamboit in the " Germanitgruppe " with the system no. 02:09:04 within the subdivision " sulfides - including selenides and tellurides - with the composition AmBnXp, with (m n): p = 1:1" to find.

Education and Locations

Renierite formed by hydrothermal processes in germanium-containing deposits. Accompanying minerals are bornite, chalcopyrite, digenite, enargite, sphalerite and tennantite germanite.

Locations include Catamarca in Argentina; Tasmania in Australia; Dobrich (formerly Hadschilogu Pazardzhik ) in Bulgaria; Provence- Alpes -Cote d' Azur in France; on Sardinia in Italy; on Honshu in Japan; Katanga in the Democratic Republic of Congo; on Otjikotosee and the region Otjozondjupa in Namibia; Salzburg and Styria in Austria; in the northern Caucasus region in Russia; in the Central Province of Zambia; Asturias in Spain; and Colorado in the United States.

Crystal structure

Renierite crystallizes in the tetragonal crystal system in space group P42c with the lattice parameters a = 10.62 Å and c = 10.55 Å and two formula units per unit cell. But Not all the metal ion sites fully occupied and copper can substitute zinc .. The structure can be written as a series of solid solutions between the end members Cu10ZnGe2Fe4S16 and Cu11GeAsFe4S16. This is replaced Zn ( II) Ge ( IV), Cu (I ) As (V).

Use

Renierite has a meaning as a raw material for the extraction of this element due to its germanium content of about 6 %.