Broad head

Broad head
Broad mainite on calcite, location: Samson pit, St. Andreasberg / Harz (image width 17 mm)
General and classification
other names	Antimony nickel antimonic pyrrhotite Breithauptin Nickel antimonide
chemical formula	NiSb
Mineral class (and possibly department)	Sulfides and sulfosalts (including selenides, tellurides, arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides, sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites)
System no. to Strunz and to Dana	02.CC.05 ( 8th edition : II / B.09a) 02.08.11.02
Crystallographic Data
Crystal system	hexagonal
Crystal class ; symbol	dihexagonal-dipyramidal; 6 / m  2 / m  2 / m
Space group	P 6 3 / mmc (No. 194)
Lattice parameters	a  = 3.95  Å ; c  = 5.15 Å
Formula units	Z  = 2
Twinning	Twin levels according to {10 1 1}
Physical Properties
Mohs hardness	5.5
Density (g / cm 3 )	measured: 7.591 to 8.23; calculated: 8.629
Cleavage	is missing
Break ; Tenacity	uneven to shell-like; brittle
colour	light copper red with a tinge of violet
Line color	reddish brown
transparency	opaque (opaque)
shine	Metallic luster

Breithauptite , also known as antimony nickel out of date , is a seldom occurring mineral from the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " with the idealized chemical composition NiSb and thus, chemically speaking, nickel antimonide . As close relatives of the sulfides, the antimonides are placed in the same class.

Broad mainite crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system and develops mostly dendritic to coarse mineral aggregates , but rarely also needle-like to thin tabular crystals up to a millimeter in size. The mineral is in any form opaque ( opaque ) and displays on the surfaces of bright copper-red crystals and aggregates have a metallic luster . It leaves a reddish-brown line on the marking board . Over time, the color of the mineral darkens somewhat through tarnishing and acquires a faint purple shimmer.

With a Mohs hardness of 5.5, Breithauptite is one of the medium-hard minerals that, like the reference mineral apatite (5), can just be scratched with a knife.

Etymology and history

The mineral was first discovered in the mining area of Sankt Andreasberg in the Upper Harz in Lower Saxony. Karl Volkmar from Braunschweig, who was studying in Göttingen at the time, is named as the discoverer. It was first described in 1833 by Friedrich Stromeyer and Friedrich Hausmann , who initially referred to the mineral as antimony nickel .

In 1840 August Breithaupt mentioned in his report contributions to the detailed knowledge of some gravel and the pebble-forming metals, also new isomorphies , that the antimony nickel, which he himself called the antimonic pyrrhotite or like Stromeyer and Hausmann as the antimony nickel , was called Breithauptin by Julius Fröbel . But this is against his view of the nomenclature. Wilhelm Haidinger finally introduced the name Breithauptit, which is still valid today, in 1845.

classification

Already in the outdated 8th edition of the mineral classification according to Strunz , the Breithauptite belonged to the mineral class of "sulfides and sulfosalts" and there to the division of "sulfides with [the molar ratio ] M (metal): S (sulfur) r = 1: 1", where he together with Achávalit (Achavalit) Freboldit , Imgreit (discredited) Jaipurit , Kotulskit , Langisit , Nickelin , pyrrhotite , Sederholmit , Smythit and troilite the "NiAs-series" with the system number. II / B.09a .

In the Lapis mineral directory according to Stefan Weiß, which, out of consideration for private collectors and institutional collections, is still based on this old form of Karl Hugo Strunz's system , the mineral was given the system and mineral number. II / C.20-30 . In the "Lapis system" this corresponds to the section "Sulphides with [the molar ratio] metal: S, Se, Te ≈ 1: 1", where Breithauptite together with Freboldite, Hexatestibiopanickelite , Kotulskite, Langisite, Nickelin, Sederholmit, Sorosit , Stumpflit , Sudburyit and Vavřínit and in the notes to Cherepanovit , polarity , Ruthenarsenit , Sobolevskit and Wassonit the "Nickelin group" is (as of 2018).

The 9th edition of Strunz's mineral systematics , which has been valid since 2001 and updated by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) until 2009, also classifies the Breithauptite in the category of "Metal sulfides, M: S = 1: 1 (and similar)". However, this is further subdivided according to the predominant metals in the compound, so that the mineral can be found according to its composition in the sub-section "with nickel (Ni), iron (Fe), cobalt (Co) etc.", where it can be found together with Achávalite , Freboldite , Hexatestibiopanickelite , Jaipurit , Kotulskit , Langisit , Nickelin, Sederholmit, Sobolevskit, Stumpflit , Sudburyit , Vavřínit and Zlatogorit the "nickelin group" with the system no. 2.CC.05 forms.

The systematics of minerals according to Dana , which is mainly used in the English-speaking world , assigns the Breithauptit to the class of "sulfides and sulfosalts" and there into the category of "sulfide minerals". Here it is in the " Nickelin group (hexagonal: P6 ₃ / mmc) " with the system no. 08/02/11 within the subsection of "Sulphides - including selenides and tellurides - with the composition A _m B _n X _p , with (m + n): p = 1: 1".

Chemism

According to the ideal (theoretical) composition of Breithauptit (NiSb), the mineral consists of nickel (Ni) and antimony (Sb) in a molar ratio of 1: 1, which gives a mass fraction (% by weight) of 32.53% Ni and 67.47 % Sb equals.

Microprobe analyzes on natural broad rock samples from the Sankt Andreasberg type locality showed an almost ideal composition. Samples from the Hudson Bay Mine near the Canadian city of Cobalt (Ontario), on the other hand, had small additions of 0.59% by weight of cobalt (Co), 0.58% by weight of arsenic (As) and 0.04 % by weight. % Iron (Fe).

Crystal structure

The nickel or antimony atoms form a hexagonal, closest packing of spheres in the space group P 6 ₃ / mmc (space group no. 194) with the lattice parameters a  = 3.95  Å and c  = 5.15 Å, as well as two formula units per Unit cell (see also the analogous structure of nickel arsenide ).

Both the nickel and the antimony atoms are six- coordinate . While nickel is an octahedral coordination polyhedron, antimony is a trigonal one.

Crystal structure of Breithauptit

looking parallel to the a-axis looking parallel to the b-axis looking parallel to the c-axis in the standard crystallographic orientation

Color table: __ Ni     __ Sb

properties

Breithauptit is soluble in nitric acid (HNO ₃ ) and aqua regia . The mineral is difficult to melt in front of the soldering tube , but antimony deposits are formed.

From an ore microscope, Breithauptite can be easily distinguished from other minerals by its rich pink to purple color and its high reflectivity . At most, it can be confused with nickelin ( red nickel gravel ). Furthermore, reflection pleochroism or anisotropy effects can be observed in micrographs due to the zonal crystal structure caused by the changing contents of NiAs molecules.

Modifications and varieties

The arsenic Arit is known as the only variety of Breithauptit so far . Arit was named after its type locality, the Ar mine near Eaux-Bonnes in the French department of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

Education and Locations

Broad head. Site: Cobalt-Gowganda, Ontario / Canada. Image size: 8 × 6 cm

Breithauptite (copper-colored), skutterudite (gray) and calcite (white) from the type locality Sankt Andreasberg, Goslar, Lower Saxony. Overall size : 3.1 cm × 2.6 cm × 2.3 cm

Breithauptit formed from hydrothermal solutions in transition - deposits , especially in calcite veins. Accompanying minerals include calcite , chalcopyrite , cobaltite , cubanite , galena , maucherite , nickeline , pyrrhotite , solid silver , sphalerite , tetrahedrite and ullmannite .

As a rather rare mineral formation, Breithauptite can in part be abundant at various locations, but overall it is not very widespread. Around 190 sites have been documented so far (as of 2020). In addition to its type locality , the Sankt Andreasberg mining area as a historical site and in the Steinfeld area, which also belongs to the municipality of Braunlage , the mineral occurred in Germany in the Tannenboden mine near Wieden and the Wenzel mine near Oberwolfach in Baden-Württemberg; near Ramsbeck , in the Ostwig mine near Nuttlar and the Storch & Schöneberg iron ore mine near Gosenbach in North Rhine-Westphalia; near Imsbach (Reich Geschiebe mine), Bad Ems (Merkur mine) and Obermoschel (Carolina mine) as well as near Freiberg , Schönbrunn near Oelsnitz / Vogtl. and Tirpersdorf in Saxony.

In Austria, Breithauptit has so far been found near Schwemmberg (near Radstadt ) in Salzburg and near Kirchdorf in the municipality of Pernegg an der Mur , Kraubath an der Mur , on the Zinkwand near Schladming in Obertalbachtal and near Arzberg in Styria.

Known by exceptional Breithauptitfunde are also the Cobalterz - deposits at Cobalt-Gowganda in County Timiskaming District in the Canadian province of Ontario and Vlakfontein in the South African province of Transvaal , where adhesions of Breithauptit with pyrrhotite ( pyrrhotite ) and pentlandite were found. In addition, Claï near Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée in the French Alpes-Maritimes and the Montoliu mines in the Catalan community of Naut Aran in Spain are among the better-known sites.

Other locations include Argentina, Australia, Finland, Greenland, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Canada, Norway, Russia, Sweden, Slovakia, Spain, Tanzania, the Czech Republic, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom (Great Britain) and the United States of America (USA).

Occasionally, Breithauptit is also produced synthetically as a metallurgical product .

use

Piece of high purity nickel antimonide

Nickel antimonide is used as a material in magnetic field plates where it is placed between magnetically sensitive layers of indium antimonide (InSb). Magnetic field plates change their electrical resistance depending on the magnetic flux density and serve as a sensor for magnetic fields.

See also

• List of minerals

literature

• F. Stromeyer, JFL Hausmann: Göttingische Scholars Ads. Under the supervision of the Society of Sciences . tape 201 , December 16, 1833, p. 2001–2008 ( rruff.info [PDF; 367 kB ; accessed on July 20, 2020]).
• Carl Hintze : 8. Arit Ni (Sb, As), 9. Breithauptit (Antimonnickel) NiSb . In: Handbook of Mineralogy . tape 1 , 1904, p. 624–626 ( available online at archive.org  - Internet Archive [accessed July 20, 2020]).
• Nils Alsén: X-ray investigation of the crystal structures of magnetic gravel, broad-mainite , pentlandite, millerite and related compounds . In: Geologiska Föreningens i Stockholm Förhandlingar . tape 47 , 1925, pp. 19–72 ( rruff.info [PDF; 3.8 MB ; accessed on July 19, 2020]).
• Charles Palache, Harry Berman, Clifford Frondel: The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana, Yale University, 1837-1892 . Part I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. 7th edition. John Wiley and Sons, New York 1944, pp. 238-239 (English).
• Paul Ramdohr : The ore minerals and their adhesions . 4th, revised and expanded edition. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1975, p. 670-671 .
• Thomas Witzke, Klaus Thalheim, Andreas Massanek: Minerals with a type locality in Saxony . In: Ore Mountains. Mining history, mineral treasures, localities . tape 1 . Bode, Lauenstein 2018, ISBN 978-3-942588-22-5 , pp. 588-590 .

Web links

Commons : Broad main site  - collection of images, videos, and audio files

• Broad head. In: Mineralienatlas Lexikon. Stefan Schorn u. a., accessed on July 20, 2020 . 
• Broad mainite. In: mindat.org. Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed July 26, 2020 . 
• Broad main search results. In: rruff.info. Database of Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction and chemistry of minerals (RRUFF), accessed on July 19, 2020 . 
• American-Mineralogist-Crystal-Structure-Database - Broad main site. In: rruff.geo.arizona.edu. Retrieved July 19, 2020 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Hugo Strunz , Ernest H. Nickel : Strunz Mineralogical Tables. Chemical-structural Mineral Classification System . 9th edition. E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagbuchhandlung (Nägele and Obermiller), Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-510-65188-X , p.  85 (English).
2. ↑ David Barthelmy: Broad Major Mineral Data. In: webmineral.com. Retrieved July 19, 2020 .  
3. ↑ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Breithauptite . In: John W. Anthony, Richard A. Bideaux, Kenneth W. Bladh, Monte C. Nichols (Eds.): Handbook of Mineralogy, Mineralogical Society of America . 2001 (English, handbookofmineralogy.org [PDF; 59  kB ; accessed on July 19, 2020]).
4. ↑ ^{a b} Stefan Weiß: The large Lapis mineral directory. All minerals from A - Z and their properties. Status 03/2018 . 7th, completely revised and supplemented edition. Weise, Munich 2018, ISBN 978-3-921656-83-9 .
5. ↑ F. Stromeyer, JFL Hausmann: Göttingische learned advertisements. Under the supervision of the Society of Sciences . tape 201 , December 16, 1833, p. 2001–2008 ( rruff.info [PDF; 367 kB ; accessed on July 20, 2020]).
6. ↑ August Breithaupt : Contributions to the closer knowledge of some gravels and the pebble-forming metals, also new isomorphies . In: JC Poggendorff (Ed.): Annalen der Physik . tape  127 , no. 51 . Barth, Leipzig 1840, p. 510 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed July 20, 2020]).
7. ^ Wilhelm Haidinger : Handbook of determining mineralogy . Braumüller and Seidel, Vienna 1845, p.  559-562 , Second Class: Geogenides. XIII. Order. Gravel. I. Nickel pebbles. Breithauptit ( rruff.info [PDF; 246 kB ; accessed on July 19, 2020]).
8. ↑ Ernest H. Nickel , Monte C. Nichols: IMA / CNMNC List of Minerals 2009. (PDF; 1.82 MB) In: cnmnc.main.jp. IMA / CNMNC, January 2009, accessed July 19, 2020 .  
9. ↑ Breithauptit. In: Mineralienatlas Lexikon. Stefan Schorn u. a., accessed on July 20, 2020 .  
10. ^ Helmut Schrätze , Karl-Ludwig Weiner : Mineralogie. A textbook on a systematic basis . de Gruyter, Berlin; New York 1981, ISBN 3-11-006823-0 , pp.  196 .
11. ↑ ^{a b} Friedrich Klockmann : Klockmanns textbook of mineralogy . Ed .: Paul Ramdohr , Hugo Strunz . 16th edition. Enke, Stuttgart 1978, ISBN 3-432-82986-8 , pp.  447 (first edition: 1891).
12. ↑ Paul Ramdohr : The ore minerals and their adhesions . 4th, revised and expanded edition. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1975, p.  670-671 .
13. ↑ Arite. In: mindat.org. Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed July 19, 2020 .  
14. ↑ Localities for Breithauptite. In: mindat.org. Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed July 19, 2020 .  
15. ↑ Petr Korbel, Milan Novák: Mineral Encyclopedia (=  Dörfler Natur ). Edition Dörfler im Nebel-Verlag, Eggolsheim 2002, ISBN 978-3-89555-076-8 , p. 33 .
16. ↑ R. Pierrot, P. Picot, J. Feraud, J. Vernet: Inventaire Minéralogique de la France. n ^o 4, Maritime Alps . In: BRGM . Paris 1974 (French).
17. ^ Mata-Perelló: Els minerals de Catalunya. Institut d'Estudis Catalans, Barcelona 1990, ISBN 84-7283-147-7 . (Catalan)
18. ↑ Find location list for Breithauptite at the Mineralienatlas and at Mindat , accessed on July 19, 2020.