Lahnsteinite, Zn4(SO4)(OH)6 · 3H2O, a new mineral from the Friedrichssegen Mine, Germany

Abstract

A new mineral, lahnsteinite, has been found in the dump of the Friedrichssegen Mine, Bad Ems district, Rhineland-Palatinate (Rheinland-Pfalz), Germany. Lahnsteinite, occurring as colorless tabular crystals in the cavities of goethite, is associated with pyromorphite, hydrozincite, quartz, and native copper. The Mohs’ hardness is 1.5; the cleavage is perfect parallel to (001). D calc = 2.995 g/cm3, D meas = 2.98(2) g/cm3. The IR spectrum is given. The new mineral is optically biaxial, negative, α = 1.568(2), β = 1.612(2), γ = 1.613(2), 2V meas = 18(3)°, 2V calc = 17°. The chemical composition (wt %, electron microprobe data; H2O was determined by gas chromatography of ignition products) is as follows: 3.87 FeO, 1.68 CuO, 57.85 ZnO, 15.83 SO3, 22.3 H2O, total is 101.53. The empirical formula is (Zn3.3Fe0.27Cu0.11)Σ3.91(S0.98O4)(OH)5 · 3H2.10O. The crystal structure has been studied on a single crystal. Lahnsteinite is triclinic, space group P1, a = 8.3125(6), b = 14.545(1), c = 18.504(2) A, α = 89.71(1), β = 90.05(1), γ = 90.13(1)°, V = 2237.2(3) A3, Z = 8. The strong reflections in the X-ray powder diffraction pattern [d, A (I, %)] are: 9.30 (100), 4.175 (18), 3.476 (19), 3.290 (19), 2.723 (57), 2.624 (36), 2.503 (35), 1.574 (23). The mineral has been named after its type locality near the town of Lahnstein. The type specimen of lahnsteinite is deposited in the Fersman Mineralogical Museum of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, registration number 4252/1.