Nickelphosphide Mineral Data

Mineral of the Month Club - An Inexpensive Way to Enjoy Minerals

General Nickelphosphide Information

Chemical Formula:

(Ni,Fe)3P

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 203.35 gm

Iron 35.70 % Fe

Nickel 49.07 % Ni

Phosphorus 15.23 % P

______

100.00 %

Empirical Formula:

Ni_1.7Fe⁰⁺_1.3P

Environment:

The nickel-dominant analog of schreibersite.

IMA Status:

Approved IMA 1998 (Dana # Added)

Locality:

Found in the Butler iron meteorite, Bates County, Missouri, U.S.A., which fell in 1874, and a number of other iron meteorites. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

The name reflects its composition.

Synonym:

ICSD 43396

IMA1998-023

PDF 51-1367

Nickelphosphide Image

Images:

Click Here for Larger Nickelphosphide Image

Nickelphosphide Kamacite

Comments: Small inclusion of nickelphosphide in massive kamacite.
Location: Kenton County meteorite, Kenton Co., Kentucky, USA. Scale: Picture size 0.09 mm.
© Thomas Witzke / Abraxas-Verlag

Images:

Nickelphosphide Melliniite

Comments: Reflected light image of creamy-yellowish melliniite (1) and nickelphosphide (3). AmMin, v91, p453.
Location: Northwest Africa 1054 acapulcoite. Scale: See Image.
© American Mineralogist

Nickelphosphide Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:c = 1:0.48898

Cell Dimensions:

a = 8.99, c = 4.396, Z = 6; V = 355.29 Den(Calc)= 5.70

Crystal System:

Tetragonal - DisphenoidalH-M Symbol (4) Space Group: I 4

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.17(1), 1.995(0.7), 1.955(0.7),2.08(0.5), 2.13(0.5), 2.01(0.2), 2.48(0.2),

Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
Keyboard
S - Stereo Pair on/off
H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
B - Bonds On/Off
Help on Above

Skala R , Drabek M , Mineralogical Magazine , 67 (2003) p.783-792, Nickelphosphide from the Vicenice octahedrite: Rietveld crystal structure, refinement of synthetic analogue, Locality: synthetic, Sample: P-33/3

Physical Properties of Nickelphosphide

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Pinkish white, Yellowish white.

Diaphaneity:

Opaque

Fracture:

Brittle - Generally displayed by glasses and most non-metallic minerals.

Habit:

Euhedral Crystals - Occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form.

Habit:

Microscopic Crystals - Crystals visible only with microscopes.

Hardness:

6.5-7 - Pyrite-Quartz

Luster:

Metallic

Optical Properties of Nickelphosphide

RL Anisotrophism:

None in air, weak in oil, yellowish-pinkish.

RL Bireflectance:

None.

RL Color:

White witha pink-yellow tint.

Reflectivity

**Standardized Intensity (100%) Reflection Spectra of Nickelphosphide in Air**
λ	R₁	R₂	∑ R₁(λ)	∑ R₂(λ)
480 nm	44.60	43.00
560 nm	48.30	46.80
580 nm	49.10	47.60
660 nm	52.50	51.30

**Calculated Relative Intensity Colors of Nickelphosphide in Air**
Relative Intensity	0%	30%	60%	90%	100%	120%	150%	180%	210%
R₁
R₂

Calculated Properties of Nickelphosphide

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=5.40 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Nickelphosphide =5.70 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.01
Boson Index = 0.99

Photoelectric:

PE_{Nickelphosphide}= 31.56 barns/electron
U=PE_{Nickelphosphide} x rElectron Density= 170.55 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Nickelphosphide is Not Radioactive

Nickelphosphide Classification

Dana Class:

01.01.21.03 (01)Native Elements

(01.01)with metallic elements other than the platinum group

(01.01.21)Barringerite Group phosphides

01.01.21.01 Barringerite (Fe,Ni)2P P 62m 6 m2

01.01.21.02 Schreibersite (Fe,Ni)3P I 4 4

01.01.21.03 Nickelphosphide! (Ni,Fe)3P I 4 4

01.01.21.04 Allabogdanite! (Fe,Ni)2P P nma 2/m 2/m 2/m

01.01.21.05 Melliniite! (Ni,Fe)4P P 2₁3 2 3

01.01.21.06 Monipite! MoNiP P 6 2m 6 m2

Strunz Class:

01.BD.05 01 - ELEMENTS (Metals and intermetallic alloys; metalloids and nonmetals; carbides, silicides, nitrides, phosphides)

01.B - Metallic Carbides, Silicides, Nitrides and Phosphides

01.BD -Phosphides

01.BD.05 Schreibersite (Fe,Ni)3P I 4 4

01.BD.05 Nickelphosphide! (Ni,Fe)3P I 4 4

Other Nickelphosphide Information

References:

NAME( CanMin, 8/99) PHYS. PROP.(MinRec, Vol 31, No 4) OPTIC PROP.(AmMin, v 85, p 875)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Nickelphosphide :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - Google Images
4 - Google Scholar
5 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
6 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
7 - MinDAT
8 - MinMax(Deutsch)
9 - MinMax(English)
10 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
11 - QUT Mineral Atlas
12 - Ruff.Info

Search for Nickelphosphide using:

[ALTAVISTA] [AOL] [All-The-Web] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [MAMMA] [MSN.COM] [Netscape] [Scirus] [Teoma] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Nickelphosphide :

AA Mineral Specimens

B & L Fine Minerals

Crystalarium.com

Dan Weinrich Fine Minerals

Dan Weinrich Auctions

Dakota Matrix

Desert Winds Gems and Minerals

John Betts Fine Minerals

Mason's Minerals

Mineral News

Mineral of the Month Club

Wrights Rock Shop

Translate Nickelphosphide Mineral Data :

Ask about Nickelphosphide here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

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

Nickelphosphide

(Ni,Fe)3P
Dana No: 01.01.21.03 Strunz No: 01.BD.05
Locality:

Notes: