Tenorite Mineral Data

General Tenorite Information

Chemical Formula:

CuO

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 79.55 gm

Copper 79.89 % Cu 100.00 % CuO

Oxygen 20.11 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

CuO

Environment:

Secondary copper mineral.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1841

Locality:

Vesuvio (Vesuvius), Napoli, Campania, Italy Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after the Italian botanist, M. Tenor (1781-1861).

Name Pronunciation:

Tenorite

Synonym:

Black Copper Oxide

ICSD 67850

Melaconite

Melanochalcite

PDF 45-937

Tenorite Image

Images:

Tenorite Chrysocolla

Comments: Lustrous black botryoidal Tenorite mostly covering a sky-blue massive chrysocolla matrix.
Location: 79 mine, Banner district, Pinal Co., Arizona. Scale: 5.5 x 3 cm.
© Dan Weinrich

Tenorite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =1.3585:1:1.4975

Cell Dimensions:

a = 4.653, b = 3.425, c = 5.129, Z = 4; beta = 99.467° V = 80.63 Den(Calc)= 6.55

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - PrismaticH-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: C 2/c

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

By Intensity(I/I_o): 2.52(1), 2.32(0.96), 2.53(0.49),

Crystal Structure:

Mouse
drag1 - LMB Manipulate Structure
drag2 - RMB Resize/Rotate
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H - Help Screen
I - Data Info
A - Atoms On/Off
P - Polyhedra On/Off
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Wyckoff R W G , Crystal Structures , 1 (1963) p.85-237, Second edition. Interscience Publishers, New York, New York

Physical Properties of Tenorite

Cleavage:

None

Color:

Black, Steel gray.

Density:

6.5

Diaphaneity:

Opaque

Fracture:

Conchoidal - Fractures developed in brittle materials characterized by smoothly curving surfaces, (e.g. quartz).

Habit:

Earthy - Dull, clay-like texture with no visible crystalline affinities, (e.g. howlite).

Habit:

Massive - Uniformly indistinguishable crystals forming large masses.

Habit:

Scaly - Morphology like fish scales.

Hardness:

3.5-4 - Copper Penny-Fluorite

Luminescence:

Non-fluorescent.

Luster:

Earthy (Dull)

Magnetism:

Nonmagnetic

Streak:

black

Optical Properties of Tenorite

Optical Data:

Biaxial (?)

NCalc= 2.11 - from Gladstone-Dale relationship (KC = 0.17) where Ncalc=Dcalc*KC+1
NCalc= 2.11 - from Gladstone-Dale relationship (KC = 0.17) where Ncalc=Dmeas*KC+1

Pleochroism (x):

light brown.

Pleochroism (z):

dark brown.

RL Anisotrophism:

Strong, blue to gray.

RL Bireflectance:

Strong.

RL Color:

Light gray with a golden tint.

Reflectivity

**Standardized Intensity (100%) Reflection Spectra of Tenorite in Air**
λ	R₁	R₂	∑ R₁(λ)	∑ R₂(λ)
400 nm	22.80	29.60
420 nm	21.90	30.00
440 nm	21.00	30.40
460 nm	20.40	30.60
480 nm	20.10	30.80
500 nm	19.80	30.70
520 nm	19.70	30.40
540 nm	19.60	30.20
560 nm	19.50	29.80
580 nm	19.50	29.60
600 nm	19.40	29.40
620 nm	19.40	29.20
640 nm	19.40	29.10
660 nm	19.40	28.80
680 nm	19.30	28.60
700 nm	19.30	28.20

**Calculated Relative Intensity Colors of Tenorite in Air**
Relative Intensity	0%	50%	100%	150%	200%	250%	300%	350%	400%	450%
R₁
R₂

Calculated Properties of Tenorite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=6.09 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Tenorite =6.55 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.000096545
Boson Index = 0.999903455

Photoelectric:

PE_Tenorite= 36.14 barns/electron
U=PE_Tenorite x rElectron Density= 220.18 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

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

Tenorite Classification

Dana Class:

04.02.03.01 (04)Simple Oxides

(04.02)with a cation charge of 2+ (A++ O)

(04.02.03)Dana Group

04.02.03.01 Tenorite CuO C 2/c 2/m

Strunz Class:

04.AB.10 04 - OXIDES (Hydroxides, V[5,6] vanadates, arsenites, antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites, tellurites, iodate

04.A - Metal:Oxygen = 2.1 and 1:1

04.AB -M:O = 1:1 (and up to 1:1.25); with small to medium-sized cations only

04.AB.10 Tenorite CuO C 2/c 2/m

Other Tenorite Information

References:

NAME( Ford32) PHYS. PROP.(Enc. of Minerals,2nd ed.,1990) OPTIC PROP.(AntBidBlaNic3)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Tenorite :
1 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
2 - Athena
3 - EUROmin Project
4 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
5 - GeoScienceWorld
6 - Google Images
7 - Google Scholar
8 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
9 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
10 - MinDAT
11 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
12 - Online Mineral Museum
13 - QUT Mineral Atlas
14 - Ruff.Info
15 - Scandinavian mineral gallery
16 - WWW-MINCRYST

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Ask about Tenorite here :
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Print or Cut-and-Paste your Tenorite Specimen Label here :

Tenorite

CuO
Dana No: 04.02.03.01 Strunz No: 04.AB.10
Locality:

Notes: