Azurite
Azurite or Azure spar is a soft, deep-blue copper mineral produced by weathering of copper ore deposits. During the early 19th century, it was also known as chessylite, after the type locality at Chessy-les-Mines near Lyon, France. The mineral, a basic carbonate with the chemical formula Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2, has been known since ancient times, and was mentioned in Pliny the Elder's Natural History under the Greek name kuanos (κυανός: "deep blue," root of English cyan) and the Latin name caeruleum. Copper (Cu) gives it its blue color.
GENERAL
| Category | |||
| Formula | Cu3(CO3)2(OH)2
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| Strunz classification | 5.BA.05
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| Crystal system | |||
| Crystal class | Prismatic (2/m)
(same H-M symbol) |
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| Space group | P21/c
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| Unit cell | a = 5.01 Å, b = 5.85 Å
c = 10.35 Å; β = 92.43°; Z = 2 |
IDENTIFICATION
| Formula mass | 344.67 g/mol
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| Crystal habit | Massive, prismatic, stalactitic, tabular
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| Twinning | Rare, twin planes {101}, {102} or {001}
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| Cleavage | Perfect on {011}, fair on {100}, poor on {110}
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| Fracture | Conchoidal
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| Tenacity | brittle
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| Mohs scale hardness | 3.5 to 4
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| Streak | Light blue
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| Diaphaneity | Transparent to translucent
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| Specific gravity | 3.773 (measured), 3.78 (calculated)
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| Optical properties | Biaxial (+)
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| Refractive index | nα = 1.730 nβ = 1.758 nγ = 1.838
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| Birefringence | δ = 0.108
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| Pleochroism | Visible shades of blue
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| 2V angle | Measured: 68°, calculated: 64°
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| Dispersion | relatively weak
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MAJOR VARIETIES
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