Trisha Shetty (Editor)

Chanabayaite

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Category
  
Organic mineral

Space group
  
Imma

Crystal system
  
Orthorhombic

Formula(repeating unit)
  
Cu2(N3C2H2Cl(NH3,Cl,H2O,[])4

Crystal class
  
Dipyramidal (mmm)H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m)

Unit cell
  
a = 19.48, b = 7.21,c = 11.999 [Å] (approximated); Z = 4

Chanabayaite is the first recognized triazolate mineral, having the following formula: Cu2(N3C2H2Cl(NH3,Cl,H2O,[])4. Minor iron admixture is also present. It is also one of a few currently known minerals containing ammine groups, including also ammineite, joanneumite and shilovite. All the minerals are rare and were found in a single guano deposit in Chile, called Pabellón de Pica. A similar natural phase, formula NaCu2Cl3[N3C2H2]2[NH3]2·4H2O, likely a precursor of chanabayaite, is described by Zubkova et al. 2016.

Contents

Crystal structure

The main features of the crystal structure of chanabayaite are:

  • copper forms octahedra, part of which share corners
  • 1,2,4-triazolate anions link the octahedra

    • Association

    Chanabayaite coexists with halite, joanneumite, nitratine, salammoniac and paragenetically-unrelated chalcopyrite. Chalcopyrite is present in an amphibole- and plagioclase-bearing gabbro, that conctacts the guano deposit.

    Formation

    Three suggested processes account for the formation of chanabayaite:

  • leaching of sodium from the precursor phase
  • leaching of chlorine from the precursor phase
  • partial dehydratation of the precursor phase

    • References

    Chanabayaite Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA


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