Rhodplumsite is a rare

rhodium Rhodium is a chemical element; it has symbol Rh and atomic number 45. It is a very rare, silvery-white, hard, corrosion-resistant transition metal. It is a noble metal and a member of the platinum group. It has only one naturally occurring isot ...

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 ...

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 ...

, chemical formula Rh₃Pb₂S₂. It was originally discovered within a platinum nugget, in grains up to 40 μm in size. Its name originates from its composition; rhodium and lead (plumbum in

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

). Although this mineral contains large amounts of rhodium, it is not an economically viable ore of rhodium due to its rarity.

References

Rhodium minerals Lead minerals Sulfide minerals Trigonal minerals Minerals in space group 166 Minerals described in 1983 {{Sulfide-mineral-stub