Balkanite Mineral Data

Balkanite Mineral Data +

General Balkanite Information

Chemical Formula:

Cu9Ag5HgS8

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 1,568.37 gm

Copper 36.47 % Cu

Silver 34.39 % Ag

Mercury 12.79 % Hg

Sulfur 16.36 % S

______

100.00 %

Empirical Formula:

Cu₉Ag₅HgS₈

Environment:

In high grade copper ores in stratiform Pb-Zn-Cu deposits.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1973

Locality:

Sedmochislenitsi mine, Vratsa district, Balkan Mountains, Bulgaria. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named for the locality.

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Balkanite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.1273:1:0.4161

Cell Dimensions:

a = 10.62, b = 9.42, c = 3.92, Z = 1; V = 392.16 Den(Calc)= 6.64

Crystal System:

Orthorhombic - DisphenoidalH-M Symbol (2 2 2) Space Group: P 222 ?

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.55(1), 2.98(1), 1.955(0.9),

Physical Properties of Balkanite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Gray, Steel gray.

Density:

6.318

Diaphaniety:

Opaque

Habit:

Microscopic Crystals - Crystals visible only with microscopes.

Habit:

Prismatic - Crystals Shaped like Slender Prisms (e.g. tourmaline).

Hardness:

3.5 - Copper Penny

Luster:

Metallic

Optical Properties of Balkanite

RL Color:

White gray.

RL Pleochroism:

Strong.

Reflectivity

**Standardized Intensity (100%) Reflection Spectra of Balkanite in Air**
λ	R₁	R₂	∑ R₁(λ)	∑ R₂(λ)
440 nm	35.40	30.60
460 nm	35.60	31.00
480 nm	35.40	31.00
500 nm	35.00	30.20
520 nm	34.00	28.90
540 nm	34.00	28.00
560 nm	33.40	27.20
580 nm	32.80	26.50
600 nm	32.40	26.00
620 nm	32.10	25.60
640 nm	31.80	25.10
660 nm	31.50	24.90

**Calculated Relative Intensity Colors of Balkanite in Air**
Relative Intensity	0%	40%	80%	100%	120%	160%	200%	240%	280%	320%	340%
R₁
R₂

Calculated Properties of Balkanite

Electron Density:

r_electron=5.96 gm/cc
note: r_Balkanite=6.64 gm/cc.

Fermion Index

Fermion Index = 0.03985
Boson Index = 0.96015

Photoelectric:

PE_Balkanite= 306.97 barns/electron
U=PE_Balkanite x r_electron=1,829.83 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)

Balkanite is Not Radioactive

Balkanite Classification

Dana Class:

2.16.7.1 (2)Sulfides - Including Selenides and Tellurides

(2.16)with miscellaneous formulae

(2.16.7)Dana Group

2.16.7.1 Balkanite Cu9Ag5HgS8 P 222 ? 2 2 2

2.16.7.2 Danielsite (Cu,Ag)14HgS8 Unk Ortho

Strunz Class:

II/B.09-20 II - Sulfides and sulphosalts

II/B - Sulfides with metal: sulfur, selenium and tellurium > 1:1, Complex Sulfides and Selenides with predominant Copper, Mercury and Thallium

II/B.09 - Danielsite - Furotobeite series

II/B.09-10 Danielsite (Cu,Ag)14HgS8 Unk Ortho

II/B.09-20 Balkanite Cu9Ag5HgS8 P 222 ? 2 2 2

II/B.09-30 Bayankhanite* Cu6HgS4 Unk Hex

II/B.09-40 Furutobeite (Cu,Ag)6PbS4 Cm ? m

II/B.09-50 Schlemaite! (Cu,[])6(Pb,Bi)Se4 P 2₁/m 2/m

Other Balkanite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(AntBidBlaNic1)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Balkanite :
1 -Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database 2 -Athena 3 - EUROmin Project 4 -Google Images 5 -Google Scholar 6 -Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA) 7 -MinDAT 8 -MinMax(Deutsch) 9 -MinMax(English) 10 -Mineralienatlas (Deutsch) 11 -QUT Mineral Atlas 12 -École des Mines de Paris

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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Balkanite Specimen Label here :

Balkanite

Cu9Ag5HgS8
Dana No: 2.16.7.1 Strunz No: II/B.09-20
Locality:

Notes: