Sphalerite

Sphalerite
Sphalerite
	Black crystals of sphalerite with minor chalcopyrite and calcite
General
Category	Sulfide mineral
Formula; (repeating unit)	(Zn,Fe)S
IMA symbol	Sp
Strunz classification	2.CB.05a
Dana classification	02.08.02.01
Crystal system	Cubic
Crystal class	Hextetrahedral (43m) ; H-M symbol: (4 3m)
Space group	F43m (No. 216)
Unit cell	a = 5.406 Å; Z = 4
Structure
Jmol (3D)	Interactive image
	SMILES [SH+2]12[ZnH2-2][SH+2]3[ZnH2-2][SH+2]([ZnH-2]14)[ZnH-2]1[S+2]5([ZnH-2]38)[Zn-2]26[SH+2]2[ZnH-2]([S+2]4)[SH+2]1[ZnH2-2][SH+2]3[ZnH-2]2[S+2][ZnH-2]([SH+2]6[ZnH-2]([SH+2])[SH+2]68)[SH+2]([ZnH2-2]6)[ZnH-2]35(SMILES input only shows in Preview. SMILES is used to create the Jmol 3D image.)
Identification
Color	Light to dark brown, red-brown, yellow, red, green, light blue, black and colourless.
Crystal habit	Euhedral crystals – occurs as well-formed crystals showing good external form. Granular – generally occurs as anhedral to subhedral crystals in matrix.
Twinning	Simple contact twins or complex lamellar forms, twin axis [111]
Cleavage	perfect dodecahedral on [011]
Fracture	Uneven to conchoidal
Mohs scale hardness	3.5–4
Luster	Adamantine, resinous, greasy
Streak	brownish white, pale yellow
Diaphaneity	Transparent to translucent, opaque when iron-rich
Specific gravity	3.9–4.2
Optical properties	Isotropic
Refractive index	nα = 2.369
Other characteristics	non-radioactive, non-magnetic, fluorescent and triboluminescent.
References

Sphalerite is a sulfide mineral with the chemical formula (Zn,Fe)S.^[5] It is the most important ore of zinc. Sphalerite is found in a variety of deposit types, but it is primarily in sedimentary exhalative, Mississippi-Valley type, and volcanogenic massive sulfide deposits. It is found in association with galena, chalcopyrite, pyrite (and other sulfides), calcite, dolomite, quartz, rhodochrosite, and fluorite.^[6]

German geologist Ernst Friedrich Glocker discovered sphalerite in 1847, naming it based on the Greek word sphaleros, meaning "deceiving", due to the difficulty of identifying the mineral.^[7]

In addition to zinc, sphalerite is an ore of cadmium, gallium, germanium, and indium. Miners have been known to refer to sphalerite as zinc blende, black-jack, and ruby blende.^[8] Marmatite is an opaque black variety with a high iron content.^[9]

^ Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.
^ Sphalerite, WebMineral.com, retrieved 2011-06-20
^ Sphalerite, Mindat.org, retrieved 2011-06-20
^ Anthony, John W.; Bideaux, Richard A.; Bladh, Kenneth W.; Nichols, Monte C. (2005). "Sphalerite" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineral Data Publishing. Retrieved 14 March 2022.
^ Muntyan, Barbara L. (1999). "Colorado Sphalerite". Rocks & Minerals. 74 (4): 220–235. Bibcode:1999RoMin..74..220M. doi:10.1080/00357529909602545. ISSN 0035-7529 – via Scholars Portal Journals.
^ Nesse, William D. (2013). Introduction to optical mineralogy (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-19-984627-6. OCLC 817795500.
^ Glocker, Ernst Friedrich. Generum et specierum mineralium, secundum ordines naturales digestorum synopsis, omnium, quotquot adhuc reperta sunt mineralium nomina complectens. : Adjectis synonymis et veteribus et recentioribus ac novissimarum analysium chemicarum summis. Systematis mineralium naturalis prodromus. OCLC 995480390.
^ Richard Rennie and Jonathan Law (2016). A dictionary of chemistry (7th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-178954-0. OCLC 936373100.
^ Zhou, Jiahui; Jiang, Feng; Li, Sijie; Zhao, Wenqing; Sun, Wei; Ji, Xiaobo; Yang, Yue (2019). "Natural marmatite with low discharge platform and excellent cyclicity as potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries". Electrochimica Acta. 321: 134676. doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2019.134676. S2CID 202080193 – via Elsevier SD Freedom Collection.

[1] Warr, L.N. (2021). "IMA–CNMNC approved mineral symbols". Mineralogical Magazine. 85 (3): 291–320. Bibcode:2021MinM...85..291W. doi:10.1180/mgm.2021.43. S2CID 235729616.

[2] Sphalerite, WebMineral.com, retrieved 2011-06-20

[Mindat-3] Sphalerite, Mindat.org, retrieved 2011-06-20

[Handbook-4] Anthony, John W.; Bideaux, Richard A.; Bladh, Kenneth W.; Nichols, Monte C. (2005). "Sphalerite" (PDF). Handbook of Mineralogy. Mineral Data Publishing. Retrieved 14 March 2022.

[Muntyan-1999-5] Muntyan, Barbara L. (1999). "Colorado Sphalerite". Rocks & Minerals. 74 (4): 220–235. Bibcode:1999RoMin..74..220M. doi:10.1080/00357529909602545. ISSN 0035-7529 – via Scholars Portal Journals.

[Nesse-2013-6] Nesse, William D. (2013). Introduction to optical mineralogy (4th ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. p. 121. ISBN 978-0-19-984627-6. OCLC 817795500.

[7] Glocker, Ernst Friedrich. Generum et specierum mineralium, secundum ordines naturales digestorum synopsis, omnium, quotquot adhuc reperta sunt mineralium nomina complectens. : Adjectis synonymis et veteribus et recentioribus ac novissimarum analysium chemicarum summis. Systematis mineralium naturalis prodromus. OCLC 995480390.

[Rennie-Law-2016-8] Richard Rennie and Jonathan Law (2016). A dictionary of chemistry (7th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-178954-0. OCLC 936373100.

[9] Zhou, Jiahui; Jiang, Feng; Li, Sijie; Zhao, Wenqing; Sun, Wei; Ji, Xiaobo; Yang, Yue (2019). "Natural marmatite with low discharge platform and excellent cyclicity as potential anode material for lithium-ion batteries". Electrochimica Acta. 321: 134676. doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2019.134676. S2CID 202080193 – via Elsevier SD Freedom Collection.

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