Nizamoffite, Mn2+Zn2(PO4)2(H2O)4, the Mn analogue of hopeite from the Palermo No. 1 pegmatite, North Groton, New Hampshire

Abstract

Nizamoffite, ideally Mn2+Zn2(PO4)2(H2O)4, is a new mineral from the Palermo No.1 pegmatite in North Groton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, U.S.A. It formed as the result of secondary alteration of primary triphylite and associated sphalerite. The crystals occur as colorless prisms up to 1 mm in length and 0.5 mm in diameter. The prisms are elongated and lightly striated parallel to [001] and exhibit the forms {100}, {010}, {230}, {011}, {031}, and {111}. The mineral is transparent and has a white streak, vitreous luster, Mohs hardness of about 3½, brittle tenacity, irregular fracture, and three cleavages: perfect on {010}, good on {100}, and fair on {001}. The measured and calculated densities are 3.00(1) and 2.961 g/cm3, respectively. It is optically biaxial (−), α = 1.580(1), β = 1.590(1), γ = 1.591(1) (white light), 2 V meas = 28(1)°, and 2 V calc = 35°. Nizamoffite exhibits strong dispersion, r 4σ F ) contains corner-sharing zigzag chains of ZnO4 tetrahedra along [001]. The chains are connected by corner sharing with PO4 tetrahedra to form sheets parallel to {010}. Three of the four PO4 vertices link to ZnO4 tetrahedra in the sheet, while the fourth links to an octahedron between the sheets. Each octahedron links to one tetrahedron from each of two adjacent sheets, thereby linking the sheets in the [010] direction. The octahedron contains Zn in hopeite and Mn in nizamoffite.