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Arsenopyrite

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San Antonio Mine (San Antonio el Grande Mine), East Camp, Santa Eulalia District, Mun. de Aquiles Serdán, Chihuahua, Mexico
© 2002 John H. Betts

Show Arsenopyrite Photos (349)
Formula:
FeAsS - (Fe
 
0.90
Co
 
0.10
)AsS
System:MonoclinicColour:Silver-white to ...
Lustre:MetallicHardness:5½ - 6
Name:Named for its composition, a contraction of the antiquated term "arsenical pyrite."


Arsenopyrite Group

Classification of Arsenopyrite

IMA status:Valid - first described prior to 1959 (pre-IMA) - "Grandfathered"
Strunz 8th edition ID:2/D.22-10
Nickel-Strunz 10th (pending) edition ID:2.EB.20

2 : SULFIDES and SULFOSALTS (sulfides, selenides, tellurides; arsenides, antimonides, bismuthides; sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfbismuthites, etc.)
E : Metal Sulfides, M: S <= 1:2
B : M:S = 1:2, with Fe, Co, Ni, PGE, etc.
Dana 7th edition ID:2.12.4.1
Dana 8th edition ID:2.12.4.1

2 : SULFIDES
12 : AmBnXp, with (m+n):p = 1:2
Hey's CIM Ref.:3.9.12

3 : Sulphides, Selenides, Tellurides, Arsenides and Bismuthides (except the arsenides, antimonides and bismuthides of Cu, Ag and Au, which are included in Section 1)
9 : Sulphides etc. of Fe
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Physical Properties of Arsenopyrite

Lustre:Metallic
Diaphaneity (Transparency):Opaque
Colour:Silver-white to steel-grey.
Streak:Grey-black.
Hardness (Mohs):5½ - 6
Hardness (Vickers):VHN100=1081 kg/mm2
Comment:VHN on (001) section
Tenacity:Brittle
Cleavage:Distinct/Good
Distinct on {001}; {010} in traces
Fracture:Irregular/Uneven
Density (measured):6.07(15) g/cm3
Density (calculated):6.18 g/cm3

Crystallography of Arsenopyrite

Crystal System:Monoclinic
Class (H-M):2/m - Prismatic
Cell Parameters:a = 5.744Å, b = 5.675Å, c = 5.785Å
β = 112.3°
Ratio:a:b:c = 1.012 : 1 : 1.019
Unit Cell Volume:V 174.47 ų (Calculated from Unit Cell)
Z:4
Morphology:Flat tabular to blocky to prismatic.
Twinning:Common on {100} and {001}. Contact or penetration on {101}, on {012} trillings or cruciform.
Crystal Atlas:
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Arsenopyrite no.5 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Arsenopyrite no.12 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Arsenopyrite no.14 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Arsenopyrite no.62 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Arsenopyrite no.64 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)
Arsenopyrite no.113 - Goldschmidt (1913-1926)

About Crystal Atlas

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X-Ray Powder Diffraction:
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Radiation - Copper Kα
Data Set:
Horizontal Axis: ° to ° Vertical Axis: % Source Data: Filtered Data: Peaks:
Data courtesy of RRUFF project at University of Arizona, used with permission.

Optical Data of Arsenopyrite

Type:Anisotropic
Anisotropism:Strong red-violet
Colour in reflected light:White with faint yellow tint.
Pleochroism:Weak
Comments:White or bluish tint, faint reddish yellow.

Chemical Properties of Arsenopyrite

Formula:
FeAsS - (Fe
 
0.90
Co
 
0.10
)AsS
Essential elements:As, Fe, S
All elements listed in formula:As, Co, Fe, S
Common Impurities:Ag,Au,Co,Sn,Ni,Sb,Bi,Cu,Pb

Relationship of Arsenopyrite to other Species

Related Minerals - Nickel-Strunz Grouping):
2.EB.05Aurostibite
AuSb
 
2
2.EB.05Bambollaite
Cu(Se,Te)
 
2
2.EB.05Cattierite
CoS
 
2
2.EB.05Erlichmanite
OsS
 
2
2.EB.05Fukuchilite
Cu
 
3
FeS
 
8
2.EB.05Geversite
PtSb
 
2
2.EB.05Hauerite
MnS
 
2
2.EB.05Insizwaite
Pt(Bi,Sb)
 
2
2.EB.05Krut'aite
CuSe
 
2
2.EB.05Laurite
RuS
 
2
2.EB.05Penroseite
(Ni,Co,Cu)Se
 
2
2.EB.05Pyrite
FeS
 
2
2.EB.05Sperrylite
PtAs
 
2
2.EB.05Trogtalite
CoSe
 
2
2.EB.05Vaesite
NiS
 
2
2.EB.05Villamanínite
(Cu,Ni,Co,Fe)S
 
2
2.EB.05Dzharkenite
FeSe
 
2
2.EB.05Gaotaiite
Ir
 
3
Te
 
8
2.EB.10Ferroselite
FeSe
 
2
2.EB.10Frohbergite
FeTe
 
2
2.EB.10Hastite
CoSe
 
2
2.EB.10Kullerudite
NiSe
 
2
2.EB.10Marcasite
FeS
 
2
2.EB.10Mattagamite
CoTe
 
2
2.EB.15Alloclasite
(Co
 
0.65
Fe
 
0.35
)AsS - CoAsS
2.EB.15Anduoite
(Ru,Os)As
 
2
2.EB.15Clinosafflorite
(Co,Fe,Ni)As
 
2
2.EB.15Costibite
CoSbS
2.EB.15Krutovite
NiAs
 
2
2.EB.15Löllingite
FeAs
 
2
2.EB.15Nisbite
NiSb
 
2
2.EB.15Omeiite
(Os,Ru)As
 
2
2.EB.15Paracostibite
CoSbS
2.EB.15Pararammelsbergite
NiAs
 
2
2.EB.15Rammelsbergite
NiAs
 
2
2.EB.15Safflorite
(Co,Fe)As
 
2
2.EB.15Seinäjokite
(Fe,Ni)(Sb,As)
 
2
2.EB.15Oenite
CoSbAs
2.EB.20Glaucodot
(Fe
 
0.65
Co
 
0.35
)AsS - (Co
 
0.65
Fe
 
0.35
)AsS
2.EB.20Gudmundite
FeSbS
2.EB.20Osarsite
(Os,Ru)AsS
2.EB.20Paxite
CuAs
 
2
2.EB.20Ruarsite
(Ru,Os)AsS
2.EB.25Cobaltite
CoAsS
2.EB.25Gersdorffite
NiAsS
2.EB.25Hollingworthite
(Rh,Pt,Pd)AsS
2.EB.25Irarsite
(Ir,Ru,Rh,Pt)AsS
2.EB.25Jolliffeite
NiAsSe
2.EB.25Maslovite
PtBiTe
2.EB.25Michenerite
PdBiTe
2.EB.25Padmaite
PdBiSe
2.EB.25Platarsite
(Pt,Rh,Ru)AsS
2.EB.25Testibiopalladite
PdTe(Sb,Te)
2.EB.25Tolovkite
IrSbS
2.EB.25Ullmannite
NiSbS
2.EB.25Willyamite
(Co,Ni)SbS
2.EB.25Changchengite
IrBiS
2.EB.25Mayingite
IrBiTe
2.EB.25Hollingsworthite
2.EB.25Kalungaite
PdAsSe
2.EB.25Milotaite
PdSbSe
2.EB.30Urvantsevite
Pd(Bi,Pb)
 
2
2.EB.35Rheniite
ReS
 
2
Related Minerals - Hey's Index Grouping:
3.9.1Pyrrhotite
Fe
 
0.83-1
S
3.9.3Pyrite
FeS
 
2
3.9.4Marcasite
FeS
 
2
3.9.5Greigite
Fe
2+
 
Fe
3+
2
S
 
4
3.9.6Mackinawite
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
8
3.9.7Smythite
(Fe,Ni)
 
9
S
 
11
3.9.8Achavalite
FeSe
3.9.9Ferroselite
FeSe
 
2
3.9.10Frohbergite
FeTe
 
2
3.9.11Löllingite
FeAs
 
2
3.9.13Gudmundite
FeSbS

Other Names for Arsenopyrite

Synonyms:
Arsenical IronArsenical PyritesArsenomarcasiteDalarnitePlinian
Thalheimite
German names:
ArseniksteinArsenkiesArsenomarcasitArsenomarkasitArsenopyrit
DalarnitGlanzarsenikkiesMispickelMistpuckelRauschgelbkies
Thalheimit
Italian names:
Arsenopirite
Japanese names:
硫砒鉄鉱
Russian names:
Арсенопирит
Spanish names:
AgujillasArsenomarcasitaArsenopyritaDalarnitaThalheimita
Swedish names:
Arsenikkis

Other Information

Health Warning:No information on health risks for this material has been entered into the database. You should always treat mineral specimens with care.

References for Arsenopyrite

Reference List:Palache, Charles, Harry Berman & Clifford Frondel (1944), The System of Mineralogy of James Dwight Dana and Edward Salisbury Dana Yale University 1837-1892, Volume I: Elements, Sulfides, Sulfosalts, Oxides. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York. 7th edition, revised and enlarged: 316-322.

Mineralogical Magazine (1962): 33: 263.

Acta Chemica Scandinavica: 27: 2791-2796.

Zeitschrift für Kristallographie: 95: 83-113.

Fleet, M.E. and Mumin, A.H. (1997) Gold-bearing arsenian pyrite and marcasite and arsenopyrite from Carlin-trend gold deposits and laboratory synthesis. American Mineralogist: 82: 182-193.

Schaufuss, A.G., Nesbitt, H.W., Scaini, M.J., Hoechst, H., Bancroft, M.G., and Szargan, R. (2000) Reactivity of surface sites on fractured arsenopyrite (FeAsS) toward oxygen. American Mineralogist: 85: 1754-1766.

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