The crystal structure of the rare secondary lead mineral georgiadesite has been solved from single-crystal X-ray diffraction data (R = 0.071). The structure can be visualized in terms of alternating puckered (100) layers of [Pbϕ6] octahedra and [Pbϕ8] bicapped trigonal prisms (ϕ = generic anion). Lead also occurs in irregular, lopsided polyhedra. This structural study shows unambiguously that arsenic occurs as As3+ and not as As5+. The chemical formula of georgiadesite has therefore been revised, on structural grounds, to Pb4(AsO3)Cl4(OH).
