Meisserite is a very rare

uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...

mineral with the formula Na₅(UO₂)(SO₄)₃(SO₃OH)(H₂O).Plášil, J., Kampf, A.R., Kasatkin, A.V., and Marty, J., Škoda, R., Silva, S., and Čejka, J., 2013. Meisserite, Na₅(UO₂)(SO₄)₃(SO₃OH)(H₂O), a new uranyl sulfate mineral from the Blue Lizard mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA. Mineralogical Magazine 77(7), 2975-2978 It is interesting in being a natural

uranyl The uranyl ion with the chemical formula has a linear structure with short U–O bonds, indicative of the presence of multiple bonds between uranium and oxygen, with uranium in the oxidation state +6. Four or more ligands may be bound to the u ...

salt with hydrosulfate ( hydroxysulfate) anion, a feature shared with

belakovskiite Belakovskiite is a very rare uranium mineral with the formula Na7(UO2)(SO4)4(SO3OH)(H2O)3.Kampf, A.R., Plášil, J., Kasatkin, A.V., and Marty, J., 2014. Belakovskiite, Na7(UO2)(SO4)4(SO3OH)(H2O)3, a new uranyl sulfate mineral from the Blue Lizard ...

. Other chemically related minerals include

fermiite Fermiite is a rare uranium mineral with the formula Na4(UO2)(SO4)3·3H2O.Kampf, A.R., Plášil, J., Kasatkin, A.V., Marty, J., and Čejka, J., 2015. Fermiite, Na4(UO2)(SO4)3·3H2O and oppenheimerite, Na2(UO2)(SO4)2·3H2O, two new uranyl sulfate mi ...

oppenheimerite Oppenheimerite is a very rare uranium mineral with the formula Na2(UO2)(SO4)2•3H2O. Chemically related minerals include fermiite, natrozippeite, plášilite, belakovskiite and meisserite. Most of these uranyl sulfate minerals were originally ...

, natrozippeite and

plášilite Plášilite is a very rare uranium mineral with the formula Na2(UO2)(SO4)2•3H2O. Chemically related minerals include natrozippeite, belakovskiite, meisserite, fermiite and oppenheimerite. Most of these uranyl sulfate minerals were originally fou ...

. Most of these

sulfate minerals The sulfate minerals are a class of minerals that include the sulfate ion () within their structure. The sulfate minerals occur commonly in primary evaporite depositional environments, as gangue minerals in hydrothermal veins and as secondary ...

was originally found in the Blue Lizard mine, San Juan County, Utah, USA. The mineral is named after Swiss mineralogist Nicolas Meisser.

Association and origin

Meisserite is associated with other sulfate minerals:

, johannite,

chalcanthite Chalcanthite (, ) is a richly colored blue-green water-soluble sulfate mineral . It is commonly found in the late-stage oxidation zones of copper deposits. Due to its ready solubility, chalcanthite is more common in arid regions. Chalcanthite i ...

copiapite Copiapite is a hydrated iron sulfate mineral with formula: Fe2+Fe3+4(SO4)6(OH)2·20(H2O). Copiapite can also refer to a mineral group, the copiapite group. Copiapite is strictly a secondary mineral forming from the weathering or oxidation of ir ...

, ferrinatrite, 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 ...

. It is resulting from post-mining oxidation of the primary uranium mineral -

uraninite Uraninite, also known as pitchblende, is a radioactive, uranium-rich mineral and ore with a chemical composition that is largely UO2 but because of oxidation typically contains variable proportions of U3O8. Radioactive decay of the uranium c ...

Crystal structure

The crystal structure of meisserite is unique. The building elements include: * pentagonal bipyramids of

groups * SO₄ groups These elements link to form chains. Sodium cations are bonded to oxygen atoms in chains, to hydrosulfate groups and water.

References

Uranium(VI) minerals Sulfate minerals Sodium minerals Triclinic minerals Minerals in space group 2 {{sulfate-mineral-stub