Hutchinsonite

Hutchinsonite
Hutchinsonite, from Quiruvilca Mine, Santiago de Chuco Province, Peru. Size: 4.5×4.4×2.2 cm
General
Category	Sulfosalt mineral
Formula (repeating unit)	(Tl,Pb)2As5S9
IMA symbol	Hut
Strunz classification	2.HD.45
Crystal system	Orthorhombic
Crystal class	Dipyramidal (mmm) H-M symbol: (2/m 2/m 2/m)
Space group	Pbca
Identification
Color	Red, pink, black
Crystal habit	Acicular – cccurs as needle-like crystals
Cleavage	{100} good
Fracture	Very brittle fracture producing small, conchoidal fragments
Mohs scale hardness	1.5–2
Luster	Sub-metallic
Streak	Red
Diaphaneity	Subtranslucent to opaque
Specific gravity	4.6
Optical properties	Biaxial (−)
Refractive index	nα = 3.078 nβ = 3.176 nγ = 3.188; 2V = 37°
Birefringence	δ = 0.110
References

Hutchinsonite is a sulfosalt mineral of thallium, arsenic and lead with formula (Tl,Pb)₂As₅S₉. Hutchinsonite is a rare hydrothermal mineral.

It was first discovered in a sample from Binnental, Switzerland in 1903 and named after Cambridge mineralogist Arthur Hutchinson, F.R.S. (1866–1937) in 1904.

See also

• List of minerals
• List of minerals named after people

Further reading

• Prior, G. T. (1905). "A New Thallium Mineral". Nature. 71 (1849): 534. Bibcode:1905Natur..71Q.534P. doi:10.1038/071534b0.
• Matsushita, Y.; Takéuchi, Y. (1994). "Refinement of the crystal structure of hutchinsonite, TlPbAs5S9". Zeitschrift für Kristallographie - Crystalline Materials. 209 (6): 475. Bibcode:1994ZK....209..475M. doi:10.1524/zkri.1994.209.6.475.
• Nihon Kessho Gakkaishi. 32: 68. 1990. doi:10.5940/jcrsj.32.Supplement_68 https://doi.org/10.5940%2Fjcrsj.32.Supplement_68. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
• Solly, R. H. (1903). "On some Minerals from Binnental, Switzerland". Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. 12: 277.
• Solly, R. H. (1905). "On some Minerals from Binnental, Switzerland" (PDF). Mineralogical Magazine: 72–. doi:10.1180/minmag.1905.014.64.03.
• Raber, Thomas; Roth, Philippe (2018). "The Lengenbach Quarry in Switzerland: Classic Locality for Rare Thallium Sulfosalts". Minerals. 8 (9): 409. Bibcode:2018Mine....8..409R. doi:10.3390/min8090409. hdl:20.500.11850/302136.