Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-jkksz Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-23T16:45:43.205Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Russoite, NH4ClAs23+O3(H2O)0.5, a new phylloarsenite mineral from Solfatara Di Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2018

Italo Campostrini
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Chimica, via Golgi 19, I-20133 Milano, Italy
Francesco Demartin*
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Chimica, via Golgi 19, I-20133 Milano, Italy
Marco Scavini
Affiliation:
Università degli Studi di Milano, Dipartimento di Chimica, via Golgi 19, I-20133 Milano, Italy
*
*Author for correspondence: Francesco Demartin, Email: [email protected]

Abstract

The new mineral russoite (IMA2015-105), NH4ClAs23+O3(H2O)0.5, was found at the Solfatara di Pozzuoli, Pozzuoli, Napoli, Italy, as a fumarolic phase associated with alacránite, dimorphite, realgar, mascagnite, salammoniac and an amorphous arsenic sulfide. It occurs as hexagonal plates up to ~300 µm in diameter and 15 µm thick, in rosette-like intergrowths. On the basis of powder X-ray diffraction measurements and chemical analysis, the mineral was recognised to be identical to the corresponding synthetic phase NH4ClAs2O3(H2O)0.5. Crystals are transparent and colourless, with vitreous lustre and white streak. Tenacity is brittle and fracture is irregular. Cleavage is perfect on {001}. The measured density is 2.89(1) g/cm3; the calculated density is 2.911 g/cm3. The empirical formula, (based on 4.5 anions per formula unit) is [(NH4)0.94,K0.06]Σ1.00(Cl0.91,Br0.01)Σ0.92As2.02O3(H2O)0.5. Russoite is hexagonal, space group P622, with a = 5.2411(7), c = 12.5948(25) Å, V = 299.62(8) Å3 and Z = 2. The eight strongest X-ray powder diffraction lines are [dobs Å(I)(hkl)]: 12.63(19)(001), 6.32(100)(002), 4.547(75)(100), 4.218(47)(003), 3.094(45)(103), 2.627(46)(110), 2.428(31)(112) and 1.820(28)(115). The structure, was refined to R = 0.0518 for 311 reflections with I > 2σ(I) and shows a different location of the ammonium cation and water molecules with respect to that reported for the synthetic analogue. The mineral belongs to a small group of phylloarsenite minerals (lucabindiite, torrecillasite and gajardoite). It contains electrically neutral As2O3 layers, topologically identical to those found in lucabindiite and gajardoite between which are ammonium cations and outside of which Cl anions. Water molecules and additional ammonium cations are located in a layer between two levels of chloride anions.

Type
Article
Copyright
Copyright © Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

Footnotes

Associate Editor: Charles Geiger

References

Acquafredda, P. and Paglionico, A. (2004) SEM-EDS microanalyses of micro-phenocrysts of Mediterranean obsidians: a preliminary approach to source discrimination. European Journal of Mineralogy, 16, 419429.Google Scholar
Brese, N.E. and O'Keeffe, M. (1991) Bond-valence parameters for solids. Acta Crystallographica, B47, 192197.Google Scholar
Brown, I.D. (2009) Recent developments in the methods and applications of the bond valence model. Chemical Reviews, 109, 68586919.Google Scholar
Brown, I.D. and Altermatt, D. (1985) Bond-valence parameters from a systematic analysis of the inorganic crystal structure database. Acta Crystallographica, B41, 244247.Google Scholar
Bruker (2001) SAINT. Bruker AXS Inc., Madison, Wisconsin.Google Scholar
Busigny, V., Cartigny, P., Philippot, P. and Javoy, M. (2003) Ammonium quantification in muscovite by infrared spectroscopy. Chemical Geology, 198, 2131.Google Scholar
Edstrand, M. and Blomqvist, G. (1955) The crystal structure of NH4Cl·As2O3·½H2O. Arkiv för Kemi, 8, 245256.Google Scholar
Farmer, V.C. (editor)(1974) The Infrared Spectra of Minerals. Mineralogical Society Monograph 4. London, UK.Google Scholar
Farrugia, L.J. (1999) WinGX suite for small-molecule single-crystal crystallography. Journal of Applied Crystallography, 32, 837838.Google Scholar
Fischer, R.X. and Tillmanns, E. (1988) The equivalent isotropic displacement factor. Acta Crystallographica, C44, 775776.Google Scholar
Garavelli, A., Mitolo, D., Pinto, D. and Vurro, F. (2013) Lucabindiite, (K,NH4)As4O6(Cl,Br), a new fumarole mineral from the “La Fossa” crater at Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy. American Mineralogist, 98, 470477.Google Scholar
Holland, T.J.B. and Redfern, S.A.T. (1997) Unit cell refinement from powder diffraction data: the use of regression diagnostics. Mineralogical Magazine, 61, 6577.Google Scholar
Kampf, A.R., Nash, B.P., Dini, M. and Molina Donoso, A.A. (2014) Torrecillasite, Na(As,Sb)43+O6Cl, a new mineral from the Torrecillas mine, Iquique Province, Chile: description and crystal structure. Mineralogical Magazine, 78, 747755.Google Scholar
Kampf, A.R., Nash, B.P., Dini, M. and Molina Donoso, A.A. (2016) Gajardoite, KCa0.5As43+O6Cl2·5H2O, a new mineral related to lucabindiite and torrecillasite from the Torrecillas mine, Iquique Province, Chile. Mineralogical Magazine, 80, 12651272.Google Scholar
Mandarino, J.A. (1976) The Gladstone-Dale relationship I. Derivation of new constants. The Canadian Mineralogist, 14, 498502.Google Scholar
Mandarino, J.A. (1981) The Gladstone-Dale relationship. IV. The compatibility index and its application. The Canadian Mineralogist, 19, 441450.Google Scholar
Pertlik, F. (1988) KAs4O6X (X= CI, Br, I) and NH4As4O6X (X= Br, I): hydrothermal syntheses and structure determinations. Monatshefte für Chemie, 119, 451456.Google Scholar
Ruste, J. (1979) X-ray spectrometry. Pp. 215267 in: Microanalysis and Scanning Electron Microscopy (Maurice, F., Meny, L. and Tixier, R., editors). Summer School St-Martin-d'Hères, France, September 11–16 (1978), Les Editions de Physique, Orsay.Google Scholar
Sheldrick, G.M. (2000) SADABS Area-Detector Absorption Correction Program. Bruker AXS Inc., Madison, WI, USA.Google Scholar
Sheldrick, G.M. (2008) A short history of SHELX. Acta Crystallographica, A64, 112122.Google Scholar
Spek, A.L. (2003) Single-crystal structure validation with the program PLATON. Journal of Applied Crystallography, 36, 713.Google Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Campostrini et al. supplementary material

Campostrini et al. supplementary material 1

Download Campostrini et al. supplementary material(File)
File 9 KB