Learning Center What is a mineral?The most common minerals on earth Information for Educators Mindat Articles The Elements The Rock H. Currier Digital Library Geologic Time

Minerals by Properties Minerals by Chemistry Advanced Locality Search Random Mineral Random Locality Search by minID Localities Near Me Search Articles Search Glossary More Search Options

The Mindat Manual Add a New Photo Rate Photos Locality Edit Report Coordinate Completion Report Add Glossary Item

Mining Companies Statistics Users Mineral Museums Clubs & Organizations Mineral Shows & Events The Mindat Directory Device Settings The Mineral Quiz

Photo Search Photo Galleries Search by Color New Photos Today New Photos Yesterday Members' Photo Galleries Past Photo of the Day Gallery Photography

Wheatleyite

A valid IMA mineral species

This page is currently not sponsored. Click here to sponsor this page.

Photos of Wheatleyite (5)

Wheatleyite Gallery Search Photos of Wheatleyite

Edit Add Synonym Edit CIF structures Clear Cache

Wheatleyite

Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá, Chile

Wheatleyite

Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá, Chile

Wheatleyite

Wheatley Mines, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA

Wheatleyite

Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá, Chile

Wheatleyite

Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá, Chile

Wheatleyite

Wheatley Mines, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA

Wheatleyite

Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá, Chile

Wheatleyite

Pabellón de Pica, Chanabaya, Iquique Province, Tarapacá, Chile

Hide all sections | Show all sections

About WheatleyiteHide

Wheatley Mine circa 1880

Wheatley Mines, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA

Formula:

Na₂Cu(C₂O₄)₂ · 2H₂O

Colour:

Bright blue

Lustre:

Vitreous

Hardness:

1 - 2

Specific Gravity:

2.27

Crystal System:

Triclinic

Name:

Named after its discovery locality, the Wheatley Mines, Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, USA.

Type Locality:

ⓘ Wheatley Mines, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA

The second Na-Cu oxalate mineral after antipinite (that also contains K). Compare other Cu-bearing oxalate minerals - middlebackite, moolooite, and fiemmeite.

Unique IdentifiersHide

Mindat ID:

4274

Long-form identifier:

mindat:1:1:4274:7

GUID
(UUID V4):

61ba4ff8-d2ea-48f3-a37d-049477610444

IMA Classification of WheatleyiteHide

IMA status:

Approved

Approval year:

1984

First published:

1986

Type description reference:

Rouse, R.C., Peacor, D.R., Dunn, P.J., Simmons, W.B., Newbury, D. (1986) Wheatleyite, Na2Cu(C2O4)2·2H2O, a natural sodium copper salt of oxalic acid. American Mineralogist: 71: 1240-1242.

Classification of WheatleyiteHide

Strunz-mindat (2024):

10.AB.30

10 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
A : Salts of organic acids
B : Oxalates

Dana 8th ed.:

50.1.8.1

50 : ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
1 : Oxalates

Hey's CIM Ref.:

31.1.3

31 : Oxalates, Citrates, Mellitates and Acetates
1 : Oxalates

Mineral SymbolsHide

As of 2021 there are now IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols (abbreviations) for each mineral species, useful for tables and diagrams.

Symbol	Source	Reference
Wty	IMA–CNMNC	Warr, L.N. (2021). IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols. Mineralogical Magazine, 85(3), 291-320. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43

Physical Properties of WheatleyiteHide

Lustre:

Vitreous

Transparency:

Translucent

Colour:

Bright blue

Streak:

Light blue

Hardness:

1 - 2 on Mohs scale

Tenacity:

Very brittle

Cleavage:

Perfect
{100}; two additionally observed optically.

Density:

2.27(4) g/cm³ (Measured) 2.250 g/cm³ (Calculated)

Optical Data of WheatleyiteHide

Type:

Biaxial (+)

RI values:

n_α = 1.400(4) n_β = 1.499(2) n_γ = 1.667(2)

2V:

Measured: 83° (5), Calculated: 84°

Max Birefringence:

δ = 0.267

Image shows birefringence interference colour range (at 30µm thickness)
and does not take into account mineral colouration.

Surface Relief:

Moderate

Dispersion:

none

Comments:

X = colorless; Y = very pale blue; Z = intense dark blue.

Chemistry of WheatleyiteHide

Mindat Formula:

Na₂Cu(C₂O₄)₂ · 2H₂O

Elements listed:

C, Cu, H, Na, O - search for minerals with similar chemistry

Crystallography of WheatleyiteHide

Crystal System:

Triclinic

Class (H-M):

1 - Pinacoidal

Space Group:

Cell Parameters:

a = 7.559(3) Å, b = 9.665(4) Å, c = 3.589(1) Å
α = 76.65(2)°, β = 103.67(2)°, γ = 109.10(2)°

Ratio:

a:b:c = 0.782 : 1 : 0.371

Unit Cell V:

237.36 Å³ (Calculated from Unit Cell)

Twinning:

Sometimes observed on the single-crystal diffraction photographs, but the twin law was not determined.

Crystal StructureHide

Load
Unit Cell | Unit Cell Packed
2x2x2 | 3x3x3 | 4x4x4

View
CIF File Best | x | y | z | a | b | c

Rotation
Stop | Start

Labels
Console Off | On | Grey | Yellow

Data courtesy of the American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database. Click on an AMCSD ID to view structure

ID	Species	Reference	Link	Year	Locality	Pressure (GPa)	Temp (K)
0009715	Wheatleyite	Chananont P, Nixon P E, Waters J M, Water T N (1980) The structure of disodium catena-bis(mu-oxalato)-cuprate(II) dihydrate Acta Crystallographica B36 2145-2147		1980	synthetic	0	293
0012692	Wheatleyite	Gleizes A, Maury F, Galy J (1980) Crystal structure and magnetism of solum bis(oxalato)cuprate(II) dihydrate, Na2Cu(C2O4)22H2O. A deductive proposal for the structure of copper oxalate, CuC2O4xH2O (0 < x < 1) Inorganic Chemistry 19 2074-2078		1980	synthetic	0	293

CIF Raw Data - click here to close

data_global
_chemical_name_mineral 'Wheatleyite'
loop_
_publ_author_name
'Chananont P'
'Nixon P E'
'Waters J M'
'Water T N'
_journal_name_full 'Acta Crystallographica, Section B'
_journal_volume 36 
_journal_year 1980
_journal_page_first 2145
_journal_page_last 2147
_publ_section_title
;
 The structure of disodium catena-bis(mu-oxalato)-cuprate(II) dihydrate
;
_database_code_amcsd 0009715
_chemical_compound_source 'Synthetic'
_chemical_formula_sum 'Na2 Cu C4 O10 H4'
_cell_length_a 3.583
_cell_length_b 9.649
_cell_length_c 7.549
_cell_angle_alpha 109.07
_cell_angle_beta 76.38
_cell_angle_gamma 103.32
_cell_volume 236.358
_exptl_crystal_density_diffrn      2.259
_symmetry_space_group_name_H-M 'P -1'
loop_
_space_group_symop_operation_xyz
  'x,y,z'
  '-x,-y,-z'
loop_
_atom_site_label
_atom_site_fract_x
_atom_site_fract_y
_atom_site_fract_z
_atom_site_U_iso_or_equiv
Na   0.11800   0.42730  -0.29820   0.02738
Cu   0.00000   0.00000   0.00000   0.01803
C1   0.52200   0.25400   0.02700   0.01756
C2   0.23300   0.27600   0.22100   0.01901
O1   0.26900   0.39620   0.34360   0.02435
O2   0.46400   0.12280  -0.09130   0.02458
O3   0.78300   0.35620   0.00190   0.02886
O4  -0.02900   0.16250   0.23220   0.02292
Wat  -0.46500   0.24560  -0.39520   0.03049

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Powder Diffraction Data:

d-spacing	Intensity
6.539 Å	(100)
3.169 Å	(90)
7.045 Å	(80)
3.655 Å	(50)
2.799 Å	(40)
2.538 Å	(30)
2.497 Å	(30)

Geological EnvironmentHide

Paragenetic Mode(s):

Paragenetic Mode	Earliest Age (Ga)
Stage 10b: Anthropogenic minerals	<10 Ka
55 : Anthropogenic mine minerals

Type Occurrence of WheatleyiteHide

Type Locality:

ⓘ Wheatley Mines, Schuylkill Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania, USA

Place of Conservation of Type Material:

Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada, 80196.
National Museum of Natural History, Washington, D.C., USA, 162531.

Geological Setting of Type Material:

Vein-type lead-zinc deposit.

Associated Minerals at Type Locality:

Sphalerite

Galena

Cerussite

Reference:

Rouse, R.C., Peacor, D.R., Dunn, P.J., Simmons, W.B., Newbury, D. (1986) Wheatleyite, Na2Cu(C2O4)2·2H2O, a natural sodium copper salt of oxalic acid. American Mineralogist: 71: 1240-1242.

Synonyms of WheatleyiteHide

IMA1984-040

Other Language Names for WheatleyiteHide

German:Wheatleyit

Spanish:Wheatleyita

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide

10.AB.	Deveroite-(Ce)	Ce₂(C₂O₄)₃ · 10H₂O	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.X	Falottaite	MnC₂O₄ · 3H₂O	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m)
10.AB.	Uroxite	[(UO₂)₂(C₂O₄)(OH)₂(H₂O)₂] · H₂O	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.	Andreybulakhite	Ni(C₂O₄) · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m : B2/b
10.AB.	Edwindavisite	Cu(C₂O₄)(NH₃)	Orth. mmm (2/m 2/m 2/m) : Pbca
10.AB.05	Humboldtine	Fe²⁺(C₂O₄) · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m
10.AB.05	Lindbergite	Mn²⁺(C₂O₄) · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m
10.AB.05	Katsarosite	Zn(C₂O₄) · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m : B2/b
10.AB.10	Glushinskite	Mg(C₂O₄) · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m : B2/b
10.AB.15	Moolooite	Cu(C₂O₄) · nH₂O	Orth.
10.AB.20	Stepanovite	NaMgFe³⁺(C₂O₄)₃ · 8-9H₂O	Trig. 3m : P3c1
10.AB.25	Minguzzite	K₃Fe³⁺(C₂O₄)₃ · 3H₂O	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.35	Zhemchuzhnikovite	NaMgAl(C₂O₄)₃ · 8H₂O	Trig. 3m : P3c1
10.AB.40	Weddellite	Ca(C₂O₄) · (2.5-x)H₂O	Tet. 4/m : I4/m
10.AB.45	Whewellite	Ca(C₂O₄) · H₂O	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.47	Fiemmeite	Cu₂(C₂O₄)(OH)₂ · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.50	Caoxite	Ca(C₂O₄) · 3H₂O	Tric. 1 : P1
10.AB.50	Middlebackite	Cu₂C₂O₄(OH)₂	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.52	Metauroxite	(UO₂)₂(C₂O₄)(OH)₂(H₂O)₂	Tric. 1 : P1
10.AB.55	Oxammite	(NH₄)₂(C₂O₄) · H₂O	Orth. 2 2 2 : P2₁ 2₁ 2
10.AB.60	Natroxalate	Na₂(C₂O₄)	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.60	Phoxite	(NH₄)₂Mg₂(C₂O₄)(PO₃OH)₂(H₂O)₄	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.60	Carboferriphoxite	[(NH₄)K(H₂CO₃)][Fe³⁺(HPO₄)(H₂PO₄)(C₂O₄)]	Tric.
10.AB.60	Ferriphoxite	[(NH₄)₂K(H₂O)][Fe³⁺(HPO₄)₂(C₂O₄)]	Mon. 2/m : P2₁/b
10.AB.65	Coskrenite-(Ce)	(Ce,Nd,La)₂(C₂O₄)(SO₄)₂ · 12H₂O	Tric.
10.AB.70	Levinsonite-(Y)	(Y,Nd,La)Al(C₂O₄)(SO₄)₂ · 12H₂O	Mon. 2/m
10.AB.75	Zugshunstite-(Ce)	(Ce,Nd,La)Al(C₂O₄)(SO₄)₂ · 12H₂O	Mon. 2/m : B2/b
10.AB.80	Novgorodovaite	Ca₂(C₂O₄)Cl₂ · 2H₂O	Mon. 2/m

Fluorescence of WheatleyiteHide

In UV light:

None observed.

Other InformationHide

Notes:

Water soluble.

Special Storage/
Display Requirements:

Must be kept dry.

Health Risks:

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

Internet Links for WheatleyiteHide

mindat.org URL:

https://www.mindat.org/min-4274.html
Please feel free to link to this page.

Search Engines:

Look for Wheatleyite on Google

Look for Wheatleyite images on Google

Look for Wheatleyite on Bing

Look for Wheatleyite images on Bing

Look for Wheatleyite on DuckDuckGo

Look for Wheatleyite images on DuckDuckGo

Look for Wheatleyite in the Rock H. Currier Digital Library

External Links:

Look for Wheatleyite on Webmineral

Look for Wheatleyite on Wikipedia

Look for Wheatleyite on Mineralien Atlas

Raman and XRD data at RRUFF project

References and PDF downloads at RRUFF project

American Mineralogist Crystal Structure Database

Handbook of Mineralogy page PDF

Mineral Dealers:

Buy from David K Joyce minerals

Wilensky Exquisite Minerals

Buy rare minerals from Excalibur Minerals

Blue Gems Australian & International

High-end worldwide specimens & outstanding customer service

Buy from McDougall Minerals

The Arkenstone - Fine Minerals

References for WheatleyiteHide

Reference List:

Chananont, P., Nixon, P.E., Waters, J.M., Water, T.N. (1980) The structure of disodium catena-bis(µ-oxalato)-cuprate(II) dihydrate. Acta Crystallographica: B36: 2145-2147.

Gleizes, A., Maury, F., Galy, J. (1980) Crystal structure and magnetism of solum bis(oxalato)cuprate(II) dihydrate, Na2Cu(C2O4)2·2H2O. A deductive proposal for the structure of copper oxalate, CuC2O4·xH2O (0 < x < 1). Inorganic Chemistry: 19: 2074-2078.

Rouse, R.C., Peacor, D.R., Dunn, P.J., Simmons, W.B., Newbury, D. (1986) Wheatleyite, Na2Cu(C2O4)2·2H2O, a natural sodium copper salt of oxalic acid. American Mineralogist: 71: 1240-1242.

Echigo, T., Kimata, M. (2010) Crystal chemistry and genesis of organic minerals: A review of oxalate and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon minerals. The Canadian Mineralogist: 48: 1329-1358.

(2023) Wheatleyite. Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineralogical Society of America

Localities for WheatleyiteHide

This map shows a selection of localities that have latitude and longitude coordinates recorded. Click on the

symbol to view information about a locality. The

symbol next to localities in the list can be used to jump to that position on the map.

Locality ListHide

- This locality has map coordinates listed.

- This locality has estimated coordinates. ⓘ - Click for references and further information on this occurrence. ? - Indicates mineral may be doubtful at this locality.

- Good crystals or important locality for species.

- World class for species or very significant. (TL) - Type Locality for a valid mineral species. (FRL) - First Recorded Locality for everything else (eg varieties). ~~Struck out~~ - Mineral was erroneously reported from this locality. Faded * - Never found at this locality but inferred to have existed at some point in the past (e.g. from pseudomorphs).

All localities listed without proper references should be considered as questionable.


Chile
Tarapacá Iquique Province Chanabaya ⓘ Pabellón de Pica	SEM-EDS and Raman Spectroscopy by Joy ...

Russia
Republic of Karelia Medvezhyegorsky District ⓘ Voronov Bor deposit	Frank‑Kamenetskaya et al. (2021)

USA
Pennsylvania Chester County ⓘ Phoenixville Mining District	Sloto (1989)
Schuylkill Township ⓘ Wheatley Mines (TL)	Acta Cryst.: B36 (1980) +1 other reference

Wheatleyite

About WheatleyiteHide

Unique IdentifiersHide

IMA Classification of WheatleyiteHide

Classification of WheatleyiteHide

Mineral SymbolsHide

Physical Properties of WheatleyiteHide

Optical Data of WheatleyiteHide

Chemistry of WheatleyiteHide

Crystallography of WheatleyiteHide

Crystal StructureHide

X-Ray Powder DiffractionHide

Geological EnvironmentHide

Type Occurrence of WheatleyiteHide

Synonyms of WheatleyiteHide

Other Language Names for WheatleyiteHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat GroupingHide

Fluorescence of WheatleyiteHide

Other InformationHide

Internet Links for WheatleyiteHide

References for WheatleyiteHide

Localities for WheatleyiteHide

Locality ListHide

Related Minerals - Strunz-mindat Grouping Hide