Boleite is a complex

halide mineral Halide minerals are those minerals with a dominant halide anion (, , and ). Complex halide minerals may also have Polyatomic ion, polyatomic anions. Examples include the following: *Atacamite *Avogadrite (K,Cs)BF *Bararite (β) *Bischofite * ...

with formula: KPb₂₆Ag₉Cu₂₄(OH)₄₈Cl₆₂. It was first described in 1891 as an oxychloride

mineral In geology and mineralogy, a mineral or mineral species is, broadly speaking, a solid substance with a fairly well-defined chemical composition and a specific crystal structure that occurs naturally in pure form.John P. Rafferty, ed. (2011): Mi ...

. It is an isometric mineral which forms in deep-blue cubes. There are numerous minerals related to boleite, such as pseudoboleite, cumengite, and

diaboleite Diaboleite is a blue-colored mineral with formula Pb2CuCl2(OH)4. It was discovered in England in 1923 and named ''diaboleite'', from the Greek word διά and boleite, meaning "distinct from boleite". The mineral has since been found in a number ...

, and these all have the same complex

crystal structure In crystallography, crystal structure is a description of ordered arrangement of atoms, ions, or molecules in a crystalline material. Ordered structures occur from intrinsic nature of constituent particles to form symmetric patterns that repeat ...

. They all contain bright-blue cubic forms and are formed in altered zones of lead and copper deposits, produced during the reaction of

chloride The term chloride refers to a compound or molecule that contains either a chlorine anion (), which is a negatively charged chlorine atom, or a non-charged chlorine atom covalently bonded to the rest of the molecule by a single bond (). The pr ...

bearing solutions with primary

sulfide mineral The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide () as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenide mineral, selenides, the tell ...

s.Rouse, Roland C. (1973/01). "The Crystal Structure of boleite – A Mineral Containing Silver Atom Clusters". ''Journal of Solid State Chemistry'' 6(1): 86–9
2
/ref>

Physical properties

The external property of a boleite crystal structure indicates its cubic structure. It is classified under the isometric crystal class. Boleite has a perfect

cleavage Cleavage may refer to: Science * Cleavage (crystal), the way in which a crystal or mineral tends to split * Cleavage (embryo), the division of cells in an early embryo * Cleavage (geology), foliation of rock perpendicular to stress, a result of ...

in the 01direction, and has a very dark glossy blue color with a light greenish-blue color streak. Twinning is best shown in this mineral by notches along the interpenetrated angles, which results in a crystal habit of pseudocubic penetration twinning along three different angles perpendicular to one another. Boleite has cubes over half an inch on each side, which consist of pseudo-octahedral tetragonal dipyramids.Weber, Julius (1974). ''The Formation of Minerals''. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company. New York, London. pp. 78–80

Geologic occurrence

Boleite was first collected as a very minor

ore Ore is natural rock or sediment that contains one or more valuable minerals, typically including metals, concentrated above background levels, and that is economically viable to mine and process. The grade of ore refers to the concentration ...

silver Silver is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag () and atomic number 47. A soft, whitish-gray, lustrous transition metal, it exhibits the highest electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, and reflectivity of any metal. ...

copper Copper is a chemical element; it has symbol Cu (from Latin ) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orang ...

and

lead Lead () is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol Pb (from Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a Heavy metal (elements), heavy metal that is density, denser than most common materials. Lead is Mohs scale, soft and Ductility, malleabl ...

at Boleo,

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. Boleite was named after its place of discovery, El Boleo mine, on the Baja Peninsula, near Santa Rosalia, Mexico. Minerals associated with boleite include pseudoboleite,

cumengeite Cumengeite, also known as cumengite, is a secondary mineral that was named after mining engineer Bernard Louis Philippe Édouard Cumenge, who found the first specimens. It is easily confused with diaboleite. It is a valid species that was first d ...

, atacamite,

anglesite Anglesite is a lead sulfate mineral with the chemical formula PbSO4. It occurs as an oxidation product of primary lead sulfide ore, galena. Anglesite occurs as prismatic orthorhombic crystals and earthy masses, and is isomorphous with barite and ...

cerussite Cerussite (also known as lead carbonate or white lead ore) is a mineral consisting of lead carbonate with the chemical formula PbCO3, and is an important ore of lead. The name is from the Latin ''cerussa'', white lead. ''Cerussa nativa'' was ...

, phosgenite and

gypsum Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate Hydrate, dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, drywall and blackboard or sidewalk ...

at the type locality in Boleo, Mexico. In the Mammoth-St. Anthony mine of

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

associated minerals include pseudoboleite, anglesite, cerussite, atacamite, paratacamite,

leadhillite Leadhillite is a lead sulfate carbonate hydroxide mineral, often associated with anglesite. It has the formula Pb4SO4(CO3)2(OH)2. Leadhillite crystallises in the Monoclinic crystal system, monoclinic system, but develops pseudo-hexagonal forms du ...

paralaurionite Paralaurionite is a colorless mineral consisting of a basic lead chloride PbCl(OH) that is dimorphous with laurionite. It is a member of the matlockite group. The name is derived from para-, the Greek for "near", and laurionite, because of its ...

, caledonite, phosgenite,

matlockite Matlockite is a rare lead halide mineral, named after the town of Matlock in Derbyshire, England, where it was first discovered in a nearby mine. Matlockite (chemical formula: PbFCl) gives its name to the matlockite group which consists of rare ...

and bideauxite.

References

External links

* * *Parker, Robert L. (1981). ''Rocks and Mineral Deposits''. W.H. Freeman and Company. San Francisco. 343–422. *Pirsson, Louis V. (1964). ''Rocks and Rock Minerals''. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York, London. 34–56 *Williams, Peter A., Thomas, John H., Humphries, Alun, Samad, Abdul F. (1981). “Chemical Studies on the Stabilities of Boleite and Pseudoboleite”. ''Mineralogical Magazine'' v.44: 101–10
3link to cryptohalite
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202010021/http://www.handbookofmineralogy.org/pdfs/Cryptohalite.pdf , date=2021-12-02 Lead minerals Potassium minerals Silver minerals Copper minerals Halide minerals Cubic minerals Minerals in space group 221 Minerals described in 1891