Linnaeite is a

cobalt Cobalt is a chemical element with the symbol Co and atomic number 27. As with nickel, cobalt is found in the Earth's crust only in a chemically combined form, save for small deposits found in alloys of natural meteoric iron. The free element, ...

sulfide mineral The sulfide minerals are a class of minerals containing sulfide (S2−) or disulfide (S22−) as the major anion. Some sulfide minerals are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides ...

with the composition Co⁺²Co⁺³₂S₄. It was discovered in 1845 in

Västmanland Västmanland ( or ), is a historical Swedish province, or ''landskap'', in middle Sweden. It borders Södermanland, Närke, Värmland, Dalarna and Uppland. Västmanland means "(The) Land of the Western Men", where the "western men" (''väste ...

, Sweden, and was named to honor

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (; 23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after his ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné Blunt (2004), p. 171. (), was a Swedish botanist, zoologist, taxonomist, and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, ...

(1707–1778). Linnaeite forms a series with

polydymite Polydymite, Ni2+Ni23+S4, is a supergene thiospinel sulfide mineral associated with the weathering of primary pentlandite nickel sulfide. Polydymite crystallises in the isometric system, with a hardness of 4.5 to 5.5 and a specific gravity of abou ...

, Ni⁺²Ni⁺³₂S₄.Linnaeite-Polydymite Series
/ref> Linnaeite is found in hydrothermal veins with other cobalt and nickel sulfides in many localities around the world.

References

* Cobalt minerals Thiospinel group Cubic minerals Minerals in space group 227 Commemoration of Carl Linnaeus {{sulfide-mineral-stub