Nickeline (mineral)

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Nickelin
Nickeline-51154.jpg
Nickelin from St. Andreasberg in the Harz Mountains
General and classification
other names
  • Arsenic
  • Kupfernickel or Koppernickel
  • Niccolit
  • Nickelite
  • Red nickel gravel
chemical formula NiAs
Mineral class
(and possibly department) 		Sulfides and sulfosalts
System no. to Strunz
and to Dana 		2.CC.05 ( 8th edition : II / B.09a)
08/02/11/01
Crystallographic Data
Crystal system hexagonal
Crystal class ; symbol dihexagonal-dipyramidal; 6 / m  2 / m  2 / m
Space group P 6 3 / mmc (No. 194)Template: room group / 194
Lattice parameters a  = 3.61  Å ; c  = 5.02 Å
Formula units Z  = 2
Twinning Quadruplets after {10 1 1}; generally possible according to {31 4 1}
Physical Properties
Mohs hardness 5 to 5.5
Density (g / cm 3 ) measured: 7.784; calculated: 7.834
Cleavage indistinct after (10 -1 0) and (0001)
Break ; Tenacity clamshell; brittle
colour copper-pink to light copper-red, tapering gray to black
Line color light brownish black
transparency opaque
shine Metallic luster

Nickelin , also known under the outdated mining names cupernickel or red nickel pebbles , is a rather seldom occurring mineral from the mineral class of " sulfides and sulfosalts " with the chemical composition NiAs and is therefore, chemically speaking, nickel arsenide . As close relatives of the sulfides, the arsenides are placed in the same class.

Nickeline crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system , but rarely develops clear crystal forms with striped surfaces. It occurs more frequently in the form of grape, dendritic or granular to massive aggregates . Fresh mineral samples are light copper pink to red in color and have a metallic sheen on the surface . In the air, however, the mineral turns gray to black after a while. Its line color , on the other hand, is light brownish black.

Etymology and history

As copper nickel or Kopper nickel (Swedish kopparnickel was) earlier in the medieval Erzgebirge like a copper referred looking material from which, however, no copper was win, as if it were of mountain spirits and mine demons ( nickels bewitched), it is why the miners also Devil copper called . One of the earliest mentions of the mineral can be found in the mineralogy book written in 1694 by the Swede Urban Hjärne .

It was not until 1751 that Axel Frederic Cronstedt succeeded in making a pure metal from copper-nickel, which, according to tradition, he called nickel . The names for cobalt (goblin) and tungsten have similar backgrounds. The nickel itself is used in turn with copper as cupronickel , for example in ancient coins and in euro coins.

The mining designation red nickel gravel was handed down by Ernst Friedrich Glocker (1793–1858) , among others, in 1839 and refers to the typical color of the mineral, its nickel content and its assignment to the outdated mineral class of "gravel"; a group of related minerals with a strong metallic luster, but in contrast to the "-luster" greater hardness.

His mineral name nickelin (in English and French with an appended 'e'), which is still valid today and officially recognized by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA) in 1967, was coined by François Sulpice Beudant in 1832 .

In English-language literature, the synonym Niccolite is widespread and arose from the Latin term Niccolum for nickel.

In a figurative sense, cupernickel or koppernickel also serves as an expression for something that does not contain what its appearance promises. For example, the Austrian-American mathematician, astronomer and researcher in the field of the history of astronomy Otto E. Neugebauer (1899–1990) considered the Prussian astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus (Niklas Koppernigk, 1473–1543) to be overrated and called it Koppernickel .

classification

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

In the last revised and updated Lapis mineral directory by Stefan Weiß in 2018 , 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.20-20 . In the "Lapis system" this corresponds to the section "Sulphides with [the molar ratio] metal: S, Se, Te ≈ 1: 1", where Nickelin is named after the "Nickelin group" (II / C.20) and the other members Breithauptit, Freboldit, Hexatestibiopanickelit , Kotulskit, Langisit, Sederholmit, Sorosit , Stumpflit , Sudburyit and Vavřínit and in the notes to Cherepanovit , polarity , Ruthenarsenit , Sobolevskit and Wassonit forms.

The 9th edition of Strunz's mineral systematics , which has been valid since 2001 and was last updated in 2009 by the International Mineralogical Association (IMA), also assigns nickel to 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 Achávalit , Breithauptit, Freboldit , Hexatestibiopanickelit , Jaipurit , Kotulskit , Langisit , Sederholmit, Sobolevskit, Stumpflit, Sudburyit, Vavřínit and Zlatogorit also the "Nickelin-Group" with the system no. 2.CC.05 forms.

In the systematics of minerals according to Dana , which is mainly used in the English-speaking world , Nickelin is also the namesake of the " Nickelin group (hexagonal: P 6 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

The idealized (theoretical) composition of nickel line (NiAs) consists of nickel (Ni) and arsenic (As) with a molar ratio of 1: 1, which corresponds to a mass fraction (% by weight) of 43.93% Ni and 56.07% As corresponds.

In natural Nickelinproben However, the nickel can be up to one percent by iron and up to 2.9% arsenic, by sulfur and antimony (up to almost 30%) diadoch be (equivalent) is replaced.

At over 600 ° C, nickel-in-line and millerite ( NiS ) form a seamless mixed crystal row .

Crystal structure

Single nickel crystal with clearly visible hexagonal-pyramidal crystal costume

Nickel in hexagonal crystallizes in the space group P 6 3 / mmc (space group no. 194) with the lattice parameters a  = 3.61  Å and c  = 5.02 Å as well as two formula units per unit cell . Template: room group / 194

For a detailed description, see nickel arsenide structure .

properties

Nickelin with green Annabergit crust from Schwarzenberg in the Erzgebirgskreis

Its nickel content is often revealed by the greenish color of its oxidation skin ( nickel arsenate , annabergite ) in contrast to the reddish efflorescence of the cobalt ores that usually break with it . These ore mixtures mostly form tunnels, less often deposits and nests in the azoic and older sedimentary formations (especially in the Permian) and are processed simultaneously on cobalt and nickel.

Nickelin is very stable and only dissolves in strong acids such as aqua regia (mixture of hydrochloric HCl and nitric acid HNO 3 ) or " piranha solution " (mixture of sulfuric acid H 2 SO 4 and hydrogen peroxide H 2 O 2 ) and a mixture of potassium permanganate (KMnO 4 ) and sulfuric acid.

Under the incident light microscope , nickel in white shows a high reflectivity with a clear tinge of yellow-pink. The color is less saturated than that of the nickel antimonide Breithauptit , but stronger than that of the nickel arsenide maucherite . Reflective pleochroism and anisotropy effects are also very high in nickel. In air, the mineral color appears light white-yellow-pink (ω) or light brown-pink (ε), depending on the direction of the incident light, and in oil, white-pink (ω) or dark brown-pink (ε). Lively color effects occur even with the slightest rotation in the analyzer.

Education and Locations

Nickelin is mainly formed from hydrothermal solutions in a relatively low temperature range (meso- to epithermal) between 300 and 100 ° C in dike deposits and forms important nickel ore deposits here. The mineral can also be found in igneous rocks such as serpentinized and ultrabasites, such as the La Gallega chrome-nickel mine near Ojén in the Spanish province of Málaga.

As Begleitminerale dignified among others may vary by locality bismuth , silver and arsenic and their sulfides and relatives as among other Bismuthinit , Breithauptit , Gersdorffit , Maucherite , Michenerit , Nickelskutterudit , safflorite , Skutterudit and rammelsbergite occur.

As a rather rare mineral formation, nickeline can sometimes be abundant at various sites, but overall it is not very common. So far, almost 580 sites have been documented worldwide (as of 2020).

The most important sites in Germany include the Richelsdorf Mountains in Hesse , Bieber on the western slope of the Spessart , Saalfeld in Thuringia , Schneeberg in Saxony , Wolfach in the Black Forest , the Mansfeld copper slate district (e.g. Eisleben , Hettstedt , Sangerhausen ) and Wolfshagen in the Harz . Pöhla (Schwarzenberg) in the Ore Mountains, where crystals with a diameter of up to 1.5 cm were discovered, is also known for its extraordinary nickel finds .

In Austria, nickelin was found in a serpentinite quarry near Griesserhof in the Carinthian municipality of Sankt Veit an der Glan, as well as in several pits in the Salzburg district of Zell am See and the Styrian districts of Leoben and Liezen .

In Switzerland, only a few sites have been documented so far: the Turtmann Valley and the municipality of Ayer (Val d'Anniviers) in the canton of Valais and two sites in the canton of Aargau.

Further sites are found in Egypt, Albania, Argentina (Jaguel, Jujuy, La Rioja), Ethiopia, Australia (New South Wales, Tasmania), Bolivia, Brazil (Minas Gerais), Bulgaria, China (Guangxi, Xinjiang), Finland ( Lapland), France (Grand Est, Occitania), Ghana, Greece, Greenland (Kujalleq), India (Odisha), Iraq, Iran (Isfahan), Irlan, Italy (Lombardy, Piedmont, Sardinia), Japan (Iwate), Canada ( Northwest Territories, Ontario, Québec, Saskatchewan), the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mauritania, Mexico, Morocco (Drâa-Tafilalet), Mongolia, Niger, Norway (Agder, Telemark), Oman, East Timor , Poland (Lower Silesia), Portugal, Romania (Caraş-Severin), Russia (Krasnojarsk, Murmansk, Sverdlovsk, Chelyabinsk), Sweden (Västerbotten), Serbia, Zimbabwe, Slovakia, Spain (Andalusia, Catalonia), South Africa (Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape) , South Korea, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Czech Republic (Bohemia and Moravia), Turkey, Ukraine (Od essa), Hungary, Uzbekistan, the United Kingdom (England, Scotland), the United States of America (Colorado, California, Nevada) and Vietnam.

See also

literature

  • FS Beudant: Traité Élémentaire de Minéralogie . 2nd Edition. Paris 1832, p. 586–589 , Nickeline, nickel arsenical, Arsenik Nickel, Kupfernickel (French, rruff.info [PDF; 165 kB ; accessed on July 22, 2020]).
  • Paul Ramdohr : The ore minerals and their adhesions . 4th, revised and expanded edition. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1975, p. 660-670 .
  • Martin Okrusch, Siegfried Matthes: Mineralogy. An introduction to special mineralogy, petrology and geology . 7th, completely revised and updated edition. Springer, Berlin [a. a.] 2005, ISBN 3-540-23812-3 , pp. 36 .
  • Petr Korbel, Milan Novák: Mineral Encyclopedia (=  Villager Nature ). Nebel Verlag, Eggolsheim 2002, ISBN 978-3-89555-076-8 , p. 33 .

Web links

Commons : Nickeline  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ David Barthelmy: Nickeline Mineral Data. In: webmineral.com. Retrieved July 22, 2020 (English).
  2. ^ A b c 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).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Nickeline . In: John W. Anthony, Richard A. Bideaux, Kenneth W. Bladh, Monte C. Nichols (Eds.): Handbook of Mineralogy, Mineralogical Society of America . 2001 ( handbookofmineralogy.org [PDF; 61  kB ; accessed on July 22, 2020]).
  4. ^ A b c d e Helmut Schrätze , Karl-Ludwig Weiner : Mineralogie. A textbook on a systematic basis . de Gruyter, Berlin; New York 1981, ISBN 3-11-006823-0 , pp.  191-1196 .
  5. ↑ 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 .
  6. ↑ a b Hans Lüschen: The names of the stones. The mineral kingdom in the mirror of language . 2nd Edition. Ott Verlag, Thun 1979, ISBN 3-7225-6265-1 , p. 260-261 .
  7. ↑ International Mineralogical Association: Commission on new minerals and mineral names . In: Mineralogical Magazine . tape  36 , 1967, p. 131–136 (English, rruff.info [PDF; 210 kB ; accessed on July 23, 2020]).
  8. ^ Philip J. Davis: Opinions of the Famous: Otto E. Neugebauer . In: The education of a mathematician . Taylor & Francis, 2000, ISBN 1-56881-116-0 , pp. 173 ( limited preview in the Google book search: thought that Copernicus was overrated - he called him Koppernickel. Kepler was much better […] ).
  9. ↑ 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 22, 2020 .
  10. ↑ Nickelin. In: Mineralienatlas Lexikon. Stefan Schorn u. a., accessed on July 22, 2020 .
  11. ↑ a b c Hans Jürgen Rösler : Textbook of Mineralogy . 4th revised and expanded edition. German publishing house for basic industry (VEB), Leipzig 1987, ISBN 3-342-00288-3 , p.  330 .
  12. ^ A b Paul Ramdohr : The ore minerals and their adhesions . 4th, revised and expanded edition. Akademie-Verlag, Berlin 1975, p.  660-670 .
  13. ↑ Nickeline. In: mindat.org. Hudson Institute of Mineralogy, accessed July 23, 2020 .
  14. ↑ Petr Korbel, Milan Novák: Mineral Encyclopedia (=  Dörfler Natur ). Edition Dörfler im Nebel-Verlag, Eggolsheim 2002, ISBN 978-3-89555-076-8 , p. 33 .
  15. ↑ List of locations for the Mineralienatlas and Mindat , accessed on July 23, 2020.