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From Chalcogenides to Polychalcogenidehalides – First Identification in Mineral Samples
Author(s) -
Schürmann Ulrich,
Duppel Viola,
Nilges Tom,
Britvin Sergey,
Kovalenker Vladimir A.,
Kienle Lorenz
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine chemie
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.354
H-Index - 66
eISSN - 1521-3749
pISSN - 0044-2313
DOI - 10.1002/zaac.201300316
Subject(s) - tetragonal crystal system , electron microprobe , mineral , crystallography , monoclinic crystal system , chemical composition , analytical chemistry (journal) , noble metal , materials science , mineralogy , metal , transmission electron microscopy , high resolution transmission electron microscopy , chalcogen , chemistry , crystal structure , nanotechnology , metallurgy , organic chemistry , chromatography
Mineral samples from the Prasolovskoe epithermal Au‐Ag deposit, Russia, were investigated via transmission electron microscopy (TEM). One component was identified as the mineral kurilite Ag 8 Te 3 Se according to the data obtained from electron diffraction (ED) and Fourier transform analyses of high resolution micrographs. Micrometer‐sized grains of kurilite were found next to other noble metal chalcogenide domains like the hessite‐type. The EDX microprobe analyses of the kurilite domains were determined with the chemical composition Ag 7.9 Au 0.1 Te 2.9 Se 1.0 which is consistent with kurilite doped by gold. Additionally noble metal polychalcogenidehalides (NMPH) were identified via ED. Monoclinic and tetragonal polymorphs of Ag 5 Te 2 Cl were observed for the first time in a mineral sample. One additional component, whose composition equates the kurilite‐type component with regard to Ag, Au, Te, and Se but with a marginal chlorine component, crystallizes in a structure type known from synthetic NMPH, namely Ag 23 Te 12 X (X = Cl, Br). This phase as well as the phases Ag 10 Te 4 Br 3 and Ag 20 Te 10 Br 2 was found next to each other in an also investigated synthetic sample.