Professor Of Mineralogy Research Articles

Alumino-oxy-rossmanite from pegmatites in Variscan metamorphic rocks from Eibenstein an der Thaya, Lower Austria, Austria: A new tourmaline that represents the most Al-rich end-member composition

Abstract Alumino-oxy-rossmanite, ideally ☐Al3Al6(Si5AlO18)(BO3)3(OH)3O, is here described as a new member of the tourmaline supergroup. It is an early magmatic Al-rich oxy-tourmaline from a small pegmatitic body embedded in amphibolite and biotite-rich paragneiss. This new pink tourmaline was found in a Moldanubian pegmatite (of the Drosendorf Unit) that occurs in a large quarry near the village of Eibenstein an der Thaya, Waidhofen an der Thaya district, Lower Austria, Austria. The empirical formula of the holotype was determined on the basis of electron microprobe analysis (EMPA), secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), spectroscopical methods (optical absorption and infrared spectroscopy), and crystal-structure refinement (SREF) as X(☐0.53Na0.46Ca0.01) Y(Al2.37Mn0.213+Li0.16☐0.14Mn0.072+Fe0.033+Fe0.012+Ti0.014+) ZAl6(Si5.37Al0.41B0.22O18)(BO3)3V[(OH)2.77O0.23] W[O0.80(OH)0.15F0.05]. Chemical composition (wt%) is: SiO2 33.96, TiO2 0.10, Al2O3 47.08, B2O3 11.77, FeO 0.08, Fe2O3 0.23, MnO 0.52, Mn2O3 1.70, CaO 0.04, Li2O 0.25, ZnO 0.03, Na2O 1.51, H2O 2.79, F 0.09, total 100.11. The presence of relatively high amounts of trivalent Mn in alumino-oxy-rossmanite is in agreement with the observation that the OH groups are present at a lower concentration than commonly found in other Al-rich and Li-bearing tourmalines. The crystal structure of alumino-oxy-rossmanite [space group R3m; a = 15.803(1), c = 7.088(1) Å; V = 1532.9(3) Å3] was refined to an R1(F) value of 1.68%. The eight strongest X-ray diffraction lines in the (calculated) powder pattern [d in Å (I) hkl] are: 2.5534 (100) 051, 3.9508 (85) 220, 2.9236 (78) 122, 4.1783 (61) 211, 2.4307 (55) 012, 2.0198 (39) 152, 1.8995 (30) 342, 6.294 (28) 101. The most common associated minerals are quartz, albite, microcline, and apatite. Beryl and, in places, schorl are also found as primary pegmatitic phases. Because of the low mode of associated mica (muscovite), we assume that the silica melt, which formed this pegmatite, crystallized under relatively dry conditions, in agreement with the observation that alumino-oxy-rossmanite contains a lower amount of OH than most other tourmalines. This new member of the tourmaline supergroup exhibits the most Al-rich end-member composition of the tourmaline supergroup (theoretical content: ~54 wt% Al2O3). The significant content of tetrahedrally coordinated Al could reflect the relatively high-temperature conditions (~700 °C) inferred for crystallization of the pegmatite. Alumino-oxy-rossmanite was named for its chemical relationship to rossmanite, ☐(LiAl2)Al6(Si6O18) (BO3)3(OH)3(OH), which in turn was named after George R. Rossman, Professor of Mineralogy at the California Institute of Technology (Pasadena, California, U.S.A.).

Fehrite, MgCu4(SO4)2(OH)6 · 6H2O, the magnesium analogue of ktenasite from the Casualidad mine near Baños de Alhamilla, Almeria, Spain

The new mineral fehrite (IMA 2018-125a), MgCu4(SO4)2(OH)6 · 6H2O, is a member of the ktenasite group andthe Mg-analogue of ktenasite, ZnCu4(SO4)2(OH)6 · 6H2O. The mineral was found in the Casualidad mine near Baños deAlhamilla, Almeria, Spain, in association with clinoatacamite, kapellasite, gordaite, serpierite, connellite and gypsum.The transparent turquoise-coloured mineral has a vitreous lustre, exhibits a pale blue-green streak and shows distinctpleochroism. It forms radial aggregates of thin lath-like crystals of up to 200 μm in length. Fehrite is not fluorescent. Themonoclinic crystals show a perfect cleavage parallel to {001}. The mineral has a brittle tenacity and an uneven fracture. Thecalculated density is 2.73 g/cm3, the calculated mean refractive index is 1.584. The strongest lines observed in the X-raypowder diffraction pattern are [d in Å/Irel in %/(hkl)] 11.94/100/002, 5.92/31/004, 2.66/12/202, 4.85/11/013, 3.93/11/006and 2.96/10/008. The chemical composition, measured by means of an electron probe micro-analyser, was determined at(wt.%): MgO 5.31, MnO 0.49, CuO 33.12, ZnO 11.48, SO3 26.01, H2Ocalc. 24.63, total 101.04. The empirical formula basedon 20 O pfu., including 6(OH) and 6(H2O), is Mg0.87Cu2.74Zn0.93Mn0.05S2.14O8(OH)6 · 6H2O. The simplified end memberformula is MgCu4(SO4)2(OH)6 · 6H2O which requires MgO 5.92, CuO 46.74, SO3 23.52, H2O 23.82, total 100.00 (wt.%).Fehrite is monoclinic with space group P21/c (#14). Unit cell parameters determined by X-ray single crystal diffraction area = 5.6062(8), b = 6.1294(11), c = 23.834(3) Å, β = 95.29(1)º, V = 815.5(2) Å3, Z = 2. The mineral is isotypic with ktenasitewith Mg in place of Zn. The name is for the late Karl Thomas Fehr (1954 – 2014), Professor of Mineralogy at the Departmentof Geo- and Environmental Sciences at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Germany.

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OPINION Reactions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterWechatLinked InRedditEmail C&EN, 2018, 96 (40), p 3October 8, 2018Cite this:C&EN 96, 40, 3(Credit: Will Ludwig/C&EN/Shutterstock)Figure1of1▸ Letters to the editor Graduate student journeys The “Chemistry Grad School Experience” issue (C&EN, Sept. 10, page 16) spent most of its time on negative aspects of a Ph.D. program. But that is not how I remember it.Getting a chemistry Ph.D. can be a wonderful experience and a special time that is unlikely to be repeated in any career. Once you get past whatever coursework and exams are required, there is an extended period where all you really have to do is research. You have no other obligations—no meetings, no schedule, no one monitoring your working hours. Just come in and do experiments, calculations, whatever, until you are too tired to go on; sleep, wake up when you want to, and do some more research.It is also a time of being in a close community—your own research group and all the other chemistry graduate students. If you are lucky, as I was, you also develop a very close relationship with your thesis adviser and possibly with other faculty, and you begin to become a part of the larger community of your area of research through attending meetings, meeting visiting scientists, and listening to seminars.I wish that the issue, which had much good advice, had done a bit more to capture the pleasure and privilege of getting a Ph.D. in chemistry.Bernard J. Bulkin London I am writing in response to the article by Mitch Jacoby in the Sept. 10 issue (page 20). I was a young assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin, Eau Claire, in 1966 when my research assistant applied to four graduate schools in chemistry: Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and the University of California, Berkeley. He received offers from all four! He asked which one I would recommend, and my comment was they are all excellent. The next day he told me that he would attend Caltech. I asked, Why? He had been watching a popular TV show called “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.,” and it had filmed scenes in labs at Caltech. That convinced him! He earned his Ph.D. under professor Harry Gray in 1971 and never left. George Rossman is now a professor of mineralogy and is a world authority on gemstones. My former student is now a “rock star”! Allen A. Denio Newark, Del. Correction Sept. 3, page 8: The news story about an 18-electron alkaline earth metal complex incorrectly describes a spectroscopic shift as being to a lower wavelength. The shift was to a longer wavelength.

Geikie's science in the cemetery

Abstract Natural stone is an important material used for buildings, walls and monuments. However, when used outdoors, it is subject to damage by the effects of weathering. Inspired by the experiments carried out by Friedrich Pfaff, a German geologist and professor of mineralogy at the University of Erlangen, Germany, in the 1870s, Archibald Geikie became interested in the subject of rock weathering and came up with the idea of using gravestones as a means of monitoring weathering in stone used for building. This work, apparently carried out in cemeteries in Edinburgh as a sideline to his normal fieldwork activities, was described in 1880 in a communication read to the Royal Society of Edinburgh. It represents the first comprehensive scientific study of rock weathering published in English, and the methodology Geikie developed for his study formed the basis for modern studies of rock weathering using gravestones.

1876-1881: Domenico Lovisato and the geology of Calabria (Southern Italy)

Celebrating the centennial of Domenico Lovisato's death (1842- 1916), this paper highlights the role played by this eminent Italian geologist as a pioneer for the geological knowledge of Calabria region (Southern Italy), a geologically complex area which became the subject of a long-lasting and still continuing debate.Lovisato spent only few years in Calabria (1876-1878) teaching as high school professor of mathematics; this period marked a turning point for his scientific growth representing a switch for his career from avocational to full-time geologist. This experience granted him the involvement in the academic career, with the enrollment in the niversity of Sassari and Cagliari as Professor of Mineralogy and Geology (from 1878 until his death, in 1916). Lovisato must be acknowledged as the author of the first 1:50,000 geological map of the Calabria region. As such, he should be mentioned for his ethic approach towards environment, anticipating the catastrophic effect of natural phenomena and the modern concepts of geoethic.

К юбилею академика РАЕ Фаины Алексеевны Курбацкой

The brief review of geological, teaching, scientific, and organizing activity of Doctor of Geological-Mineralogical Sciences, Academician of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Russia, professor of Mineralogy and Petrography Department of the Perm State University Faina Alekseevna Kurbatskaya is presented.

Sigma Gamma Epsilon's W.A. Tarr Award: Honoring the Memory of William Arthur Tarr (1881-1939), Grand Editor of The Compass

In 1947, delegates to the 14th National Convention of the Society of Sigma Gamma Epsilon established the W.A. Tarr Award in honor of William Arthur Tarr (1881-1939) and the awards were made by active Society chapters in the spring of 1948. William Arthur Tarr was the first editor of The Compass. W.A. Tarr was a professor of Mineralogy and Geology at the University of Missouri from 1911 to 1939, during which he was the faculty advisor to the Epsilon chapter of Sigma Gamma Epsilon.

Balićžunićite, Bi2O(SO4)2, a new fumarole mineral from La Fossa crater, Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy

AbstractBalićžunićite, ideally Bi2O(SO4)2, is a new mineral found as a high-temperature fumarole sublimate (T = 600°C) at La Fossa crater, Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy. It occurs as aggregates of mm-sized prismatic and elongated crystals (∼50 μm across and up to 200 μm long) associated with anglesite, leguernite, one other potentially new Bi-oxysulfate mineral, lillianite, galenobismutite, bismoclite, Cd-rich sphalerite, wurtzite, pyrite and pyrrhotite. Balićžunićite is colourless to white or pale brown, transparent and non-fluorescent. It has a vitreous lustre and a white streak. Electron microprobe analysis gives the following average chemical composition (wt.%): Bi2O3 68.68 and SO3 23.73, total 92.41. The empirical chemical formula, calculated on the basis of 9 anions p.f.u., is Bi1.99S2O9. The calculated density is 5.911 g/cm3.Balićžunićite is triclinic, space group P, with a 6.7386(3), b 11.1844(5), c 14.1754(7) Å, α 80.082(2)°, β 88.462(2)°, γ 89.517(2)°, V = 1052.01(8) Å3 and Z = 6. The six strongest reflections in the X-ray powder-diffraction data [d in Å(I) (hkl)] are: 3.146 (100) (033), 3.486 (21) (004), 3.409 (12) (01), 3.366 (7) (200), 5.562 (4) (11), 5.433 (4) (111). Balićžunićite is the natural analogue of the stable low-temperature a form of synthetic Bi2O(SO4)2. The name is in honour of Tonci Balić-Žunić(born 1952), Professor of Mineralogy at the Natural History Museum of the University of Cophenagen. Both the mineral and the mineral name have been approved by the IMA-CNMNC Commission (IMA2012-098).

William Whewell: Professor of Mineralogy [And Crystallography] Cambridge University 1828-1834

Today philosophers, scientists, and other scholars know William Whewell as a major figure in the history and philosophy of science and as a wordsmith who coined many scientific terms still in use. Mineralogists are likely aware that there is a mineral Whewellite. Whewell entered the field of mineralogy just as it was coming of age as a science. He was a life-long academic at Trinity College, Cambridge University where he served as Professor of Mineralogy, later as Professor of Moral Philosophy, and rose to become Master of the College. His major contributions to earth science were in mathematical crystallography and tidal phenomena. Whewell's wide-ranging ideas and research qualify him as a mid-nineteenth century polymath.

Lucabindiite, (K,NH4)As4O6(Cl,Br), a new fumarole mineral from the "La Fossa" crater at Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy

Lucabindiite, ideally (K,NH 4 )As 4 O 6 (Cl,Br), is a new mineral found as a medium-temperature fumarole encrustation (T = 170 °C) at “La Fossa” crater of Vulcano, Aeolian Islands, Italy. The mineral deposited as aggregates of micrometer-sized hexagonal and platy crystals on the surface of the pyroclastic breccia in association with arsenolite, sal ammoniac, sulfur, and amorphous arsenic-rich sulfurite. The new mineral is colorless to white, transparent, non-fluorescent, has a vitreous luster and a white streak. The calculated density is 3.68 g/cm 3 . Lucabindiite is hexagonal, space group P6/mmm, with a = 5.2386(7) Å, c = 9.014(2) Å, V = 214.23(7) Å 3 , and Z = 1. The eight strongest reflections in the X-ray powderdiffraction data [d in Å (I) (hkl)] are: 3.20 (100) (102), 2.62 (67) (110), 4.51 (52) (002), 4.54 (30) (100), 1.97 (28) (113), 1.49 (21) (115), 1.60 (21) (212), 2.26 (19) (112). Lucabindiite’s average chemical composition is (wt%): K 2 O 5.14, As 2 O 3 84.71, Cl 3.63, Br 6.92, F 0.77, (NH 4 ) 2 O 2.73, O=F,Cl,Br -1.84, total 102.06. The empirical chemical formula, calculated on the basis of 7 anions pfu, is [K 0.51 (NH 4 ) 0.49 ] Σ1.00 As 4.00 O 5.93 (Cl 0.48 Br 0.40 F 0.19 ) Σ1.07 . According to chemical analyses and X-ray data, lucabindiite is the natural analog of synthetic phases with general formula MAs 4 O 6 X where M = K, NH 4 and X = Cl, Br, I. The crystal structure is characterized by neutral As 2 O 3 sheets arranged parallel to (001). The As atoms of two neighboring sheets point at each other and the sheets are separated by interlayer M (=K, NH 4 ) and X (=Cl, Br, F) atoms. The name is in honor of Luca Bindi (b. 1971), Professor of Mineralogy and former Head of the Division of Mineralogy of the Natural History Museum of the University of Florence. Both the mineral and the mineral name have been approved by the IMA-CNMNC Commission (IMA 2011-010).

Paseroite, PbMn2+(Mn2+,Fe2+)2(V5+,Ti,Fe3+,〈)18O38, a new member of the crichtonite group

Paseroite, ideally PbMn 2þ (Mn 2þ ,Fe 2þ )2(V 5þ ,Ti,Fe 3þ ,&)18O38, is a new mineral (IMA2011-069) from fossil wood in the upper part of the Molinello mine, Val Graveglia, Italy. Paseroite occurs in direct association with quartz, chalcocite, volborthite, metatyuyamunite and pyrophanite, and was also found as zones within V-rich senaite crystals with which it forms a solid-solution series. Paseroite forms as isolated submetallic, dark grey to black, elongated scalenohedral crystals between 50 and 100mm in length, with the forms {001} and {102} present. The tenacity is brittle, the fracture conchoidal, and the streak is black. The Vickers hardness is 847 kg mm � 2 (load 500g), which is equivalent to 6-6.5 on the Mohs scale. The calculated density is 4.315 g/cm 3 (on the basis of the empirical formula). In plane-polarised incident light, paseroite is greyish in colour, weakly bireflectant and non-pleochroic. Internal reflections are absent. Between crossed polars, paseroite is anisotropic, without characteristic rotation tints. Reflectance percentages (Rmin and Rmax) are: 18.4 %, 18.2 % (471.1 nm); 17.9 %, 17.7 % (548.3 nm); 17.6 %, 17.3 % (586.6 nm); and 17.0 %, 16.8 % (652.3 nm), respectively. The empirical formula, calculated on the basis of 38 O atoms pfu is: (Pb0.61Sr0.39)1.00 (V 5þ 7.78Ti 4þ 7.03Mn 2þ 1.86Fe 2þ 0.67Fe 3þ 0.37Zn0.24Na0.19U0.02Mg0.02&2.82)21.00O38. According to the structural results, the simplified formula is: PbMn 2þ (Mn 2þ ,Fe 2þ )2(V 5þ ,Ti,Fe 3þ ,&)18O38. Structurally, paseroite crystallises in the space group R3, with the unit-cell parameters a ¼ 10.3894(5), c ¼ 20.8709(8) A u , V ¼ 1950.98(15) A u 3 and Z ¼ 3. The crystal structure was refined to R ¼ 0.0234 for 632 reflections with Io . 2s(Io) and is isostructural with senaite and all other members of the crichtonite group. The eight strongest X-ray powder-diffraction lines (d in A u (I/I0 )( hkl)) are: 3.417 (100) (024), 3.012 (21) (300), 2.896 (61) (216), 2.858 (36) (214), 2.765 (27) (303), 2.260 (85) (144), 2.149 (65) (415) and 1.809 (57) (418). The name is after Marco Pasero (b. 1958), Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Pisa.

Physicians and their contribution to the early history of earth sciences in Austria

Abstract The propaedeutic character of academic studies at philosophical faculties of the Habsburg Monarchy during the ‘Vormärz’-period, 1815–1848, prevented research-oriented scientific training at the universities. In 1849 the minister of education Leo Thun-Hohenstein initiated a comprehensive educational reform. The crucial improvement in the system of higher education was that the old Austrian philosophical faculties were transformed into genuine research faculties, thus facilitating scientific studies on a more progressive level. Before this fundamental reform, natural science subjects were offered only at the medical faculty at which the substantial scientific subjects, for example chemistry and natural history, were taught. Pioneers in Austrian geology therefore earned a medical degree before they changed to geology, a science in which they had to be autodidacts. Among these ‘pioneers’ were the famous bohemian balneologist Franz Ambros Reuss (1761–1830), his son August Emanuel Reuss (1811–1873), professor of mineralogy at the Universities of Prague (1849–1863) and Vienna (1863–1873), and Carl Ferdinand Peters (1825–1881), the first professor of mineralogy and geology at Graz University (1864–1881). Members of the succeeding generation include Conrad Clemens Clar (1844–1904) and Theodor Posewitz (1851–1917). These were all outstanding individuals with unique skills and expertise, successfully combining medical and earth sciences in their everyday lives.

SULFOSALTS AND MUCH MORE... A TRIBUTE TO EMIL MAKOVICKY

This thematic issue of The Canadian Mineralogist is a tribute to Emil Makovicky, Professor of Mineralogy and Crystallography at the University of Copenhagen, in recognition of the seminal role that he has played over the last four decades in the area of mineralogy and crystallography, and in

Menchettiite, AgPb2.40Mn1.60Sb3As2S12, a new sulfosalt belonging to the lillianite series from the Uchucchacua polymetallic deposit, Lima Department, Peru

Menchettiite, ideally AgPb 2.40 Mn 1.60 Sb 3 As 2 S 12 , is a new mineral from the Uchucchacua polymetallic deposit, Oyon district, Catajambo, Lima Department, Peru. It occurs as black, anhedral to subhedral grains up to 200 μm across, closely associated with orpiment, tennantite/tetrahedrite, other unnamed minerals of the system Pb-Ag-Sb-Mn-As-S, and calcite. Menchettiite is opaque with a metallic luster and possesses a black streak. It is brittle, with uneven fracture; the Vickers microhardness (VHN 100 ) is 128 kg/mm 2 (range 119-136) (corresponding to a Mohs hardness of 2½-3). The calculated density is 5.146 g/cm 3 (on the basis of the empirical formula). In plane-polarized incident light, menchettiite is weakly to moderately bireflectant and weakly pleochroic from dark gray to a dark green. Internal reflections are absent. Between crossed polarizers, the mineral is anisotropic, without characteristic rotation tints. Reflectance percentages (R min and R max ) for the four standard COM wavelengths are 33.1, 39.8 (471.1 nm), 31.8, 38.0 (548.3 nm), 30.9, 37.3 (586.6 nm), and 29.0, 35.8 (652.3 nm), respectively. Menchettiite is monoclinic, space group P2 1 /n, with unit-cell parameters: a = 19.233(2), b = 12.633(3), c = 8.476(2) Å, β = 90.08(2)°, V = 2059.4(8) Å 3 , a: b: c 1.522:1:0.671, Z = 2, and it is twinned on {100}. The crystal structure was refined to R = 0.0903 for 2365 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo) and it resulted to be topologically identical to those of ramdohrite, uchucchacuaite, and fizélyite. The six strongest X-ray powder-diffraction lines [d in Å (I/I0) (hkl)] are: 3.4066 (39) ( 3̅12), 3.4025 (39) (312), 3.2853 (100) (520), 2.8535 (50) ( 2̅32), 2.8519 (47) (232), and 2.1190 (33) (004). Electron-microprobe analyses gave the chemical formula Ag 1.95 Cu 0.01 Pb 4.81 Mn 3.20 Fe 0.02 Zn 0.01 Sb 6.09 As 3.94 Bi 0.01 S 23.95 Se 0.01 , on the basis of 44 atoms and according to the structure refinement results. Menchettiite can be classified among the Sb-rich members of the lillianite homeotypic series, which are described with the general formula Ag x Pb 3-2x Sb 2+x S 6 . Besides the heterovalent substitution 2Pb 2+ → Ag + + Sb 3+ taken into consideration by the above formula, two isovalent substitutions relate menchettiite to the other lillianite homeotypes, i.e., Mn 2+ → Pb 2+ and As 3+ → Sb 3+ . The name is after Silvio Menchetti (1937-), Professor of Mineralogy and Crystallography at the University of Florence. The new mineral and mineral name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, IMA (2011-009).

GUNTERITE, Na4(H2O)16(H2V10O28){middle dot}6H2O, A NEW MINERAL SPECIES WITH A DOUBLY-PROTONATED DECAVANADATE POLYANION: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE AND DESCRIPTIVE MINERALOGY

Gunterite, Na 4 (H 2 O) 16 (H 2 V 10 O 28 )·6H 2 O, is a new mineral species from the West Sunday mine, Slick Rock district, San Miguel County, Colorado, U.S.A. Crystals of gunterite are tabular on {001} and generally stacked into elongate curved multiple crystals up to 0.5 mm in maximum dimension; the crystals are orange-yellow, with a yellow streak. The mineral displays a subadamantine luster, and is transparent; it does not fluoresce in short- or long-range ultraviolet radiation. Gunterite has a hardness of about 1, a brittle tenacity, and an irregular fracture; no cleavage or parting was observed. The density calculated from the empirical formula using the single-crystal cell data is 2.398 g cm −3 . Gunterite is biaxial (+), with α 1.735(5), β 1.770(5) and γ 1.825(5); 2 V is equal to 78° (white light). The dispersion v is strong and parallel. Optical orientation; X = b , Y ≈ c ; pleochroism: X yellow, Y orange, Z yellow; Y > X > Z . Gunterite is soluble in water at room temperature. Electronprobe microanalysis and the crystal-structure solution provided the empirical formula (V + Al = 10 apfu ): (Na 3.20 K 0.02 Ca 0.87 ) ∑4.09 [H 1.06 (V 9.99 Al 0.01 ) ∑10 O 28 ]·22H 2 O. The simplified formula of gunterite is Na 4 (H 2 O) 16 (H 2 V 10 O 28 )·6H 2 O. There is extensive substitution of Ca for Na in gunterite, yielding a structural formula of (Na 4− x Ca x ) ∑4.00 (H 2 O) 16 (H 2− x V 10 O 28 )·6H 2 O; the average value of x from the chemical analyses is 0.85. Gunterite is monoclinic, C 2/ m , with a 19.848(2), b 10.1889(11), c 13.1184(15) A, β 130.187(9)°, V 2026.6(4) A 3 , and Z = 2. The strongest four lines in the diffraction pattern [ d in A(I) hkl ] are: 10.01(100)201,001, 8.44(72)110, 8.09(46)111, and 2.997(29)331,401. The atomic arrangement of gunterite was refined to R 1 = 0.0632. The structural unit is a doubly-protonated decavanadate polyanion, {H 2 [V 10 O 28 ]}. The interstitial units linking the structural units contain two Na polyhedra; the Na2 polyhedron is split into two partially occupied sites that are 0.76 A apart, and significant Ca occupies that site. Several of the H 2 O molecules in the interstitial complex are disordered. The mineral is named in honor of Mickey E. Gunter, Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Idaho.

Bassoite, SrV3O7·4H2O, a new mineral from Molinello mine, Val Graveglia, eastern Liguria, Italy

AbstractBassoite, ideally SrV3O7·4H2O, is a new mineral from the Molinello manganese mine, Val Graveglia. eastern Liguria, northern Apennines, Italy. It occurs as black euhedral to subhedral grains up to 400 urn across, closely associated with rhodonite, quartz and braunite. Bassoite is opaque with a sub-metallic lustre and a black streak. It is brittle and neither fracture nor cleavage was observed; the Vickers micro-hardness (VHN100) is 150 kg/mm (range 142—165; corresponding to a Mohs hardness of 4—41/2). The calculated density is 2.940 g/cm3 (on the basis of the empirical formula and X-ray single-crystal data). Bassoite is weakly bireflectant and very weakly pleochroic from grey to a dark green. Internal reflections are absent. The mineral is anisotropic, without characteristic rotation tints. Reflectance percentages (Rmin and Rmax) for the four standard COM wavelengths are 18.5%, 19.0% (471.1 nm); 17.2%, 17.8% (548.3 nm); 16.8%, 17.5% (586.6 nm) and 16.2%, 16.8% (652.3 nm), respectively.Bassoite is monoclinic, space group P21/m, with unit-cell parameters: a = 5.313(3) Å, b = 10.495(3) Å, c = 8.568(4) Å, β = 91.14(5)°, V= 477.7(4) Å3, a:b:c = 0.506:1:0.816, and Z = 2. The crystal structure was refined to R1 = 0.0209 for 1148 reflections with Fo > 4σ(Fo) and it consists of layers of VO5 pyramids (with vanadium in the tetravalent state) pointing up and down alternately with Sr between the layers (in nine-fold coordination). The nine most intense X-ray powder-diffraction lines [d in Å (I/I0) (hkt)] are: 8.5663 (100) (001); 6.6363 (14) (011); 3.4399 (14) (1̄21); 3.4049 (17) (121); 2.8339 (15) (1̄22); 2.7949 (11) (122); 2.6550 (15) (200); 2.6237 (11) (040) and 1.8666 (15) (240). Electron microprobe analyses produce a chemical formula (Sr0.97Ca0.02Na0.01)V3.00O74H20, on the basis of 2(Sr+Ca+Na) = 1, taking the results of the structure refinement into account. The presence of water molecules was confirmed by micro-Raman spectroscopy. The name honours Riccardo Basso (b. 1947), full professor of Mineralogy and Crystallography at the University of Genova. The new mineral and mineral name have been approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification, IMA (2011-028).

The scientific correspondence of Arcangelo Scacchi

The scientist Arcangelo Scacchi (1810-1893), is today rarely mentioned in histories of Italian science in the nineteenth century. Even a brief consideration of his career, however, reveals that his work was of great importance to the scientific community of his age. For more than fifty years he was Professor of Mineralogy at the University of Naples and Curator of the Royal Mineralogical Museum, which under his guidance enjoyed a period of unprecedented success. The as yet unpublished Scacchi papers shed interesting light on the world of this Italian naturalist. His correspondence reveals much about Scacchi’s role in the scientific community both in Italy and abroad, and illustrate the extent to which he was involved in contemporary debates and research in the fields of geology, mineralogy, volcanology and crystallography.

GROATITE, Na Ca Mn2+2 (PO4) [PO3(OH)]2, A NEW MINERAL SPECIES OF THE ALLUAUDITE GROUP FROM THE TANCO PEGMATITE, BERNIC LAKE, MANITOBA, CANADA: DESCRIPTION AND CRYSTAL STRUCTURE

Groatite, ideally Na Ca Mn 2+ 2 (PO 4 ) [PO 3 (OH)] 2 , is a new mineral species from the Tanco pegmatite at Bernic Lake, Manitoba, Canada. It was found in a phosphate–carbonate mass in a spodumene-rich boulder. Groatite occurs sparingly as slightly divergent sprays of acicular crystals, embedded stellate sprays and as a tabular mass of densely intergrown acicular crystals. Groatite is closely associated with whitlockite, crandallite, an unidentified Na–Al phosphate and quartz; fairfieldite and manganese-rich overite are among the less closely associated phosphates; this assemblage may be secondary, following apparent dissolution of lithiophosphate and possibly of primary lithiophilite. Groatite is translucent, colorless to pale yellow and pale orange with a white streak and vitreous luster; it does not fluoresce under ultraviolet light. The Mohs hardness is 3. Groatite is brittle with an uneven fracture, and has a calculated density of 3.213 g/cm 3 . It is biaxial positive with α 1.622, β 1.634, γ 1.663 (all ±0.001), and is nonpleochroic; 2 V (obs.) = 67(1), 2 V (calc.) = 66.5°. It is monoclinic, space group C 2/ c , a 12.5435(9), b 12.4324(9), c 6.7121(4) A, β 115.332(2)°, V 946.07(19) A 3 , Z = 4. The six strongest lines in the X-ray powder-diffraction pattern [ d in A(I)( hkl )] are as follows: 3.187(100)(112), 2.726(90)(402, 240), 6.204(80)(020), 2.788(80)(330), 5.653(70)(200), and 2.580(70)(132, 420). Chemical analysis by electron microprobe gave P 2 O 5 46.66, FeO 0.49, MnO 29.31, CaO 12.51, Na 2 O 6.87, H 2 O (calc.) 3.93, sum 99.77 wt.%, where the H 2 O content was determined by crystal-structure refinement as OH = 2.0 apfu . The resulting empirical formula, on the basis of 10 O atoms and 2 (OH) groups pfu , is Na 1.02 Ca 1.02 (Mn 1.90 Fe 2+ 0.03 ) ∑ 1.93 P 3.02 O 10 (OH) 2 . The crystal structure of groatite was refined to an R index of 2.7% based on 831 unique reflections collected on a four-circle diffractometer with Mo K α X-radiation and a 4K CCD detector. There are two tetrahedrally coordinated T -sites occupied by P. There are two octahedra, M (1) and M (2), and an eight-coordinated A (2) site which are occupied by Ca, Mn and Na, respectively. The observed site-scattering, mean bond-lengths and bond-valence sums at these sites are in agreement with complete chemical order of Ca at M (1), Mn 2+ at M (2) and Na at A (2). A (PO 4 ) group is centered at the T (1) site and a PO 3 (OH) group at T (2). The H atom is located near the O(4) anion and provides a strong hydrogen bond to the O(2) anion. Groatite is isostructural with the acid arsenate mineral o’danielite and is a member of the alluaudite group; it is the first alluaudite-group mineral with an acid phosphate group. The new mineral is named in honor of Lee A. Groat, Professor of Mineralogy at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver. The species and the name groatite were approved by the Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification of the International Mineralogical Association (IMA 2008–054).

Two Rediscovered Byron Letters

Two lost letters from Byron have recently turned up at libraries in the United States (Harvard and Princeton). Although both were partially published in Leslie Marchand's edition of the poet's correspondence, neither has appeared in its entirety. In both cases, Marchand was working from a transcription in an auction catalogue. We now have the manuscripts themselves. Soon it will be time for a thorough survey of all of Byron's correspondence that has passed through the auction houses or has been presented in scholarly communications since the conclusion of Marchand's edition in 1994. Peter Cochran has published an essay in this direction already and has collected numerous other instances.1 The first of the two rediscovered letters presented here, from Byron to Edward Daniel Clarke (1769-1822), is part of the Donald and Mary Hyde Collection of Samuel Johnson at the Houghton Library of Harvard University. The entire letter has never been published, nor have its recipient and proper date been identified. It became part of the Hyde collection (bequeathed to Harvard in 2004), where it was inserted by the collector Robert Borthwick Adam (1833-1904) into an extra-illustrated edition of George Birkbeck Hill's Letters of Samuel Johnson (1892), at a point where Byron's name is mentioned in a footnote (MS Hyde 77). The complete text of the letter, written on a single sheet, is presented below. Byron first met E. D. Clarke, professor of Mineralogy at Cambridge, in October 1811,2 and shared with him a passion for the Near East, where Clarke had travelled extensively in the previous decade. In a November 1814 letter to Anabella Milbanke, Byron calls him 'the best & goodnatured of souls - and uniformly kind to me'.3 Byron's correspondence with Clarke frequently touches on the East,4 and Clarke's influence on Byron, and particularly on the Oriental Tales, deserves further investigation. One barrier to this has been the multitude of Cambridge professors named 'Clarke' (or 'Clark') mentioned in Byron's correspondence (a phenomenon that confused both Prothero and Marchand).5 As A. E. Shipley notes, Edward Daniel Clarke was known as 'Stone Clarke, the traveller, Professor of Mineralogy, 1808; University Librarian, 1817; to distinguish him from Bone Clark' - William Clark, the anatomist and physician who planned to travel to the East with Byron in 1814 - and 'Tone Clarke - i.e., John Clarke, afterwards Clarke-Whitfeld, Mus.D., Professor of Music, 1821'.6 Indeed, when Byron mentions a 'Dr. Clarke', one has to be particularly careful, particularly since both 'Stone' and 'Bone' are associated with Eastern travel in Byron's frame of reference. In this particular letter, as in others,7 Byron plays on the coincidence of names, referring here to John ('Tone') Clarke as E. D. Clarke's 'harmonious namesake'. Byron's letters to E. D. Clarke are now widely scattered: there are four at the British Museum,8 one at Princeton,9 one at the University of Texas,10 one at the Keats-Shelley House in Rome,11 one at the Wisbech Museum,12 and now two at Harvard,13 suggesting that others may well turn up singly. Meanwhile, this letter to E. D. Clarke should take its place as part of the record. January 10th 181414 My dear Sir, Many thanks for Sadi15 Dr. yourself and your harmonious namesake16 - to the two last I am infinitely indebted as I mean to be to the former. - Fogs - journeys - and business have hitherto prevented the due acknowledgements for your kindness which to me has been uniform and deeply felt since our first acquaintance. Dr. C. has sent me the Music for which I return him my most sincere thanks - if the works from which he has honoured me by taking ye words are deemed worthy his acceptance I will take an early opportunity of sending him ye latest E[ditio]ns of all - C[hilde] H[arold]e is at present out of print17 but Mr. Murray talks of an illustrated E[ditio]n & in that case I should wish my friends to have copies with Stothard's designs. …

PERTLIKITE, A NEW TETRAGONAL Mg-RICH MEMBER OF THE VOLTAITE GROUP FROM MADENI ZAKH, IRAN

Pertlikite, a new member of the voltaite group, is the tetragonal Mg-dominant analogue of the isometric phases voltaite and zincovoltaite. At its type locality, Madeni Zakh, Iran, the mineral occurs in a pyrite-bearing trachytic eruptive rock, and probably formed after the decomposition of pyrite. Pertlikite forms single crystals up to 1 cm; the phase is associated with metavoltine, botryogen, pyrite and alunite. In contrast to voltaite and zincovoltaite, the optical properties and the single-crystal study of the structure ( R 1 = 0.022) confirm the tetragonal symmetry, ω = 1.590(2), e = 1.586(2), space group I 4 1 / acd , a 19.2080(3), c 27.2158(7) A, V 10041.2(6) A 3 , and Z = 8. The results of the chemical analysis, in combination with the Mossbauer data and the crystal-structure refinement, give the formula (K 1.98 Na 0.01 ) ∑1.99 M 2 (Fe 2+ 1.13 Mg 0.49 Mn 2+ 0.27 Fe 3+ 0.10 Zn 0.01 ) ∑2.00 M 3 (Mg 2.52 Fe 3+ 1.49 ) ∑4.01 M 1 Fe 3+ 2.00 Al 1.00 (SO 4 ) 12.00 ·18 H 2 O, which can be simplified to an ideal formula: K 2 M 2 (Fe 2+ ,Mg) 2 M 3 (Mg,Fe 3+ ) 4 M 1 Fe 3+ 2 Al (SO 4 ) 12 ·18 H 2 O. The strongest eight lines of the powder pattern [ d in A( I )( hkl )] are: 5.543(28)(132), 3.396(100)(440), 3.136(21) (345), 3.038(39)(444), 2.848(31)(361), 2.534(21)(273), 2.078(29)(567) and 1.601(21)(6104). The unit-cell parameters refined from the powder data (Cu K α radiation) are a 19.2167(2), c 27.1976(4) A. The tetragonal structure of pertlikite results from Mg,Fe order at the Fe 2 site. Relative to the isometric voltaite and zincovoltaite, the Fe 2 site splits to create a site that is predominantly Mg ( Mg 3) and another that is dominantly Fe ( Fe 2) in pertlikite. For the three metal sites, the results of the refinement are Fe 1: . Fe; Fe 2: Fe >> Mg; Mg 3: Mg >> Fe. The H 2 O molecules that bond to the Al atom are extensively disordered, as has been observed in the isometric phases. The measured density is 2.59(3) g/cm 3 (by pycnometer), and the calculated density is 2.56(1) g/cm 3 . The name honors Franz Pertlik, Professor of Mineralogy and Crystallography, University of Vienna, Austria, in recognition of his extensive work on the crystal chemistry of minerals.