Nickel–Strunz classification is a scheme for categorizing

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 ...

s based upon their chemical composition, introduced by German mineralogist Karl Hugo Strunz (24 February 1910 – 19 April 2006) in his ''Mineralogische Tabellen'' (1941). The 4th and the 5th edition was also edited by Christel Tennyson (1966). It was followed by A.S. Povarennykh with a modified classification (1966 in Russian, 1972 in English). As curator of the Mineralogical Museum of Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (now known as the

Humboldt University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

), Strunz had been tasked with sorting the museum's geological collection according to crystal-chemical properties. His book ''Mineralogical Tables'', has been through a number of modifications; the most recent edition, published in 2001, is the ninth (Mineralogical Tables by Hugo Strunz and Ernest H. Nickel (31 August 1925 – 18 July 2009)). The IMA/CNMNC supports the Nickel–Strunz database.

Nickel–Strunz code scheme

The Nickel–Strunz code scheme is ''NN.XY.##x'', where: * ''NN'': Nickel–Strunz mineral class number * ''X'': Nickel–Strunz mineral division letter * ''Y'': Nickel–Strunz mineral family letter * ''##x'': Nickel–Strunz mineral/group number; ''x'' an add-on letter

Nickel–Strunz mineral classes

The current scheme divides minerals into ten classes, which are further divided into divisions, families and groups according to chemical composition and

crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...

structure.Strunz Classification
/ref> # elements #

sulfide Sulfide (also sulphide in British English) is an inorganic anion of sulfur with the chemical formula S2− or a compound containing one or more S2− ions. Solutions of sulfide salts are corrosive. ''Sulfide'' also refers to large families o ...

s and sulfosalts #

halide In chemistry, a halide (rarely halogenide) is a binary chemical compound, of which one part is a halogen atom and the other part is an element or radical that is less electronegative (or more electropositive) than the halogen, to make a fl ...

s #

oxide An oxide () is a chemical compound containing at least one oxygen atom and one other element in its chemical formula. "Oxide" itself is the dianion (anion bearing a net charge of −2) of oxygen, an O2− ion with oxygen in the oxidation st ...

hydroxide Hydroxide is a diatomic anion with chemical formula OH−. It consists of an oxygen and hydrogen atom held together by a single covalent bond, and carries a negative electric charge. It is an important but usually minor constituent of water. It ...

s and

arsenite In chemistry, an arsenite is a chemical compound containing an arsenic oxyanion where arsenic has oxidation state +3. Note that in fields that commonly deal with groundwater chemistry, arsenite is used generically to identify soluble AsIII anions ...

s #

carbonate A carbonate is a salt of carbonic acid, (), characterized by the presence of the carbonate ion, a polyatomic ion with the formula . The word "carbonate" may also refer to a carbonate ester, an organic compound containing the carbonate group ...

s and

nitrate Nitrate is a polyatomic ion with the chemical formula . salt (chemistry), Salts containing this ion are called nitrates. Nitrates are common components of fertilizers and explosives. Almost all inorganic nitrates are solubility, soluble in wa ...

s #

borate A borate is any of a range of boron oxyanions, anions containing boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt of such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and borax . The name also refers to esters of su ...

s #

sulfate The sulfate or sulphate ion is a polyatomic anion with the empirical formula . Salts, acid derivatives, and peroxides of sulfate are widely used in industry. Sulfates occur widely in everyday life. Sulfates are salts of sulfuric acid and many ...

s, chromates, molybdates and tungstates #

phosphate Phosphates are the naturally occurring form of the element phosphorus. In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthop ...

arsenate The arsenate is an ion with the chemical formula . Bonding in arsenate consists of a central arsenic atom, with oxidation state +5, double bonded to one oxygen atom and single bonded to a further three oxygen atoms. The four oxygen atoms orien ...

s and

vanadate In chemistry, a vanadate is an anionic coordination complex of vanadium. Often vanadate refers to oxoanions of vanadium, most of which exist in its highest oxidation state of +5. The complexes and are referred to as hexacyanovanadate(III) and no ...

s #

silicate A silicate is any member of a family of polyatomic anions consisting of silicon and oxygen, usually with the general formula , where . The family includes orthosilicate (), metasilicate (), and pyrosilicate (, ). The name is also used ...

s #

organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...

IMA/CNMNC mineral classes

IMA/CNMNC proposes a new hierarchical scheme , using the Nickel–Strunz classes (10 ed) this gives: * Classification of minerals ( non silicates) ** Nickel–Strunz class 01: Native Elements *** Class: native elements ** Nickel–Strunz class 02: Sulfides and Sulfosalts *** Class 02.A – 02.G: sulfides, selenides, tellurides (including arsenides, antimonides, bismuthinides) *** Class 02.H – 02.M: sulfosalts (including sulfarsenites, sulfantimonites, sulfobismuthites, etc.) ** Nickel–Strunz class 03: Halogenides *** Class:

s ** Nickel–Strunz class 04: Oxides *** Class:

s *** Class:

s (including antimonites, bismuthites, sulfites, selenites and tellurites) ** Nickel–Strunz class 05: Carbonates and Nitrates *** Class:

s *** Class:

s ** Nickel–Strunz class 06: Borates *** Class:

s **** Subclass: nesoborates **** Subclass: soroborates **** Subclass: cycloborates **** Subclass: inoborates **** Subclass: phylloborates **** Subclass: tectoborates ** Nickel–Strunz class 07: Sulfates, Selenates, Tellurates *** Class: sulfates, selenates, tellurates *** Class: chromates *** Class: molybdate, wolframates and niobates ** Nickel–Strunz class 08: Phosphates, Arsenates, Vanadates *** Class:

s *** Class: arsenates and vanadates ** Nickel–Strunz class 10: Organic Compounds *** Class:

s * Classification of minerals (silicates) ** Nickel–Strunz class 09: Silicates and Germanates *** Class:

s **** Subclass:

nesosilicate Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dio ...

s **** Subclass: sorosilicates **** Subclass:

cyclosilicate Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dio ...

s **** Subclass:

inosilicate Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dio ...

s **** Subclass:

phyllosilicate Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dio ...

s **** Subclass:

tectosilicate Silicate minerals are rock-forming minerals made up of silicate groups. They are the largest and most important class of minerals and make up approximately 90 percent of Earth's crust. In mineralogy, the crystalline forms of silica (silicon dio ...

s without zeolitic H₂O **** Subclass:

s with zeolitic H₂O;

zeolite Zeolites are a group of several microporous, crystalline aluminosilicate minerals commonly used as commercial adsorbents and catalysts. They mainly consist of silicon, aluminium, oxygen, and have the general formula ･y where is either a meta ...

family **** Subclass: unclassified silicates **** Subclass:

germanate In chemistry, germanate is a compound containing an oxyanion of germanium. In the naming of inorganic compounds it is a suffix that indicates a polyatomic anion with a central germanium atom, for example potassium hexafluorogermanate, K2GeF6.Eg ...

Notes

References

External links

*
Strunz classification on Mindat
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nickel-Strunz classification Mineralogy Scientific classification

Nickel–Strunz code scheme

Nickel–Strunz mineral classes

IMA/CNMNC mineral classes

See also

Notes

References

External links