Sulfides Class of Minerals

The Sulphides are igneous in origin, heavy, most look metallic and all but a couple are soft. Practically all are brittle and their crystals shatter to a dark or black powder or have black or dark colored streaks. The appearance of the nonmetallic sulphides is rather consistent so they should not be to difficult to identify. In addition, they are usually associated with their metallic-looking relatives in ore veins. Most major ores of important metals such as copper, lead and silver are sulfides.

The Subclass Sulfosalts is a large segment of the sulfide class whose difference from the other sulfides lies in the position of the semi-metal ions. The term sulfosalts came from a theory that these minerals were the salts of acids in which the oxygen molecules are replaced by sulfurs. This theory is no longer considered accurate, but the name is still used.

Because the elements antimony, arsenic, bismuth, selenium, and tellurium have similar sizes, charges and ionic strengths. The whole or partial supplanting of sulfur by these elements is possible. Minerals in the sulfide class that have no appreciable sulfur are included in these subclasses. The Subclasses Antimonides, Arsenides, Selenides, and Tellurides may be thought of as alloys of metals with semi-metals and are sometimes placed in the Elements Class.

The Standard Sulfides:

Acanthite/Argentite (Silver Sulfide)
Aguilarite (Silver Selenium Sulfide)
Alabandite (Manganese Sulfide)
Argentopentlandite (Silver Iron Nickel Sulfide)
Argentopyrite (Silver Iron Sulfide)
Argyrodite (Silver Germanium Sulfide)
Arsenopyrite (Iron Arsenic Sulfide)
Bismuthinite (Bismuth Sulfide)
Bornite (Copper Iron Sulfide)
Carrollite (Copper Cobalt Nickel Sulfide)
Chalcocite (Copper Sulfide)
Chalcopyrite (Copper Iron Sulfide)
Cinnabar (Mercury Sulfide)
Cobaltite (Cobalt Arsenic Sulfide)
Covellite (Copper Sulfide)
Cubanite (Copper Iron Sulfide)
Digenite (Copper Sulfide)
Famatinite (Copper Antimony Sulfide)
Galena (Lead Sulfide)
Germanite (Copper Germanium Gallium Iron Zinc Arsenic Sulfide)
Gersdorffite (Nickel Arsenic Sulfide)
Glaucodot (Copper Iron Arsenic Sulfide)
Greenockite (Cadmium Sulfide)
Hauchecornite (Nickel Bismuth Antimony Sulfide)
Hauerite (Manganese Sulfide)
Jalpaite (Silver Copper Sulfide)
Kermesite (Antimony Oxysulfide)
Laurite (Ruthenium Sulfide)
Lautite (Copper Arsenic Sulfide)
Linnaeite (Cobalt Sulfide)
Marcasite (Iron Sulfide)
Metacinnabar (Mercury Sulfide)
Millerite (Nickel Sulfide)
Molybdenite (Molybdenum Sulfide)
Orpiment (Arsenic Sulfide)
Patronite (Vanadium Sulfide)
Pentlandite (Iron Nickel Sulfide)
Polydymite (Nickel Sulfide)
Pyrite (Iron Sulfide)
Pyrrhotite (Iron Sulfide)
Realgar (Arsenic Sulfide)
Rheniite (Rhenium Sulfide)
Schollhornite (Hydrated Sodium Chromium Sulfide)
Siegenite (Cobalt Nickel Sulfide)
Sphalerite (Zinc Iron Sulfide)
Stannite (Copper Iron Tin Sulfide)
Sternbergite (Silver Iron Sulfide)
Stibnite (Antimony Sulfide)
Stromeyerite (Silver Copper Sulfide)
Teallite (Lead Tin Sulfide)
Tetradymite (Bismuth Tellurium Sulfide)
Tungstenite (Tungsten Sulfide)
Ullmannite (Nickel Antimony Sulfide)
Wurtzite (Zinc Iron Sulfide)

Subclass: Antimonides

Aurostibite (Gold Antimonide)
Breithauptite (Nickel Antimonide)
Dyscrasite (Silver Antimonide)

Subclass: Arsenides

Domeykite (Copper Arsenide)
Lollingite (Iron Arsenide)
Maucherite (Nickel Arsenide)
Nickeline (Nickel Arsenide)
Nickel-skutterudite (chloanthite) (Nickel Arsenide)
Rammelsbergite (Nickel Arsenide)
Safflorite (Cobalt Iron Arsenide)
Skutterudite (Cobalt Arsenide)
Smaltite (Cobalt Nickel Arsenide)
Sperrylite (Platinum Arsenide)

Subclass: Selenides

Berzelianite (Copper Selenide)
Clausthalite (Lead Selenide)
Eucairite (Silver Copper Selenide)
Klockmannite (Copper Selenide)
Tiemannite (Mercury Selenide)
Umangite (Copper Selenide)

Subclass: Tellurides

Altaite (Lead Telluride)
Calaverite (Gold Telluride)
Coloradoite (Mercury Telluride)
Empressite (Silver Telluride)
Hessite (Silver Telluride)
Kostovite (Copper Gold Telluride)
Krennerite (Silver Gold Telluride)
Melonite (Nickel Telluride)
Nagyagite (Gold Lead Antimony Iron Telluride Sulfide)
Petzite (Silver Gold Telluride)
Rickardite (Copper Telluride)
Sylvanite (Silver Gold Telluride)

Subclass: Sulfosalts

Aikinite (Lead Copper Bismuth Sulfide)
Andorite (Silver Lead Antimony Sulfide)
Baumhauerite (Lead Arsenic Sulfide)
Berthierite (Iron Antimony Sulfide)
Boulangerite (Lead Antimony Sulfide)
Bournonite (Lead Copper Antimony Sulfide)
Chalcostibite (Copper Antimony Sulfide)
Cylindrite (Iron Lead Tin Antimony Sulfide)
Dufrenoysite (Lead Arsenic Sulfide)
Emplectite (Copper Bismuth Sulfide)
Enargite (Copper Arsenic Sulfide)
Franckeite (Lead Tin Iron Antimony Sulfide)
Freieslebenite (Silver Lead Antimony Sulfide)
Geocronite (Lead Antimony Arsenic Sulfide)
Gratonite (Lead Arsenic Sulfide)
Hutchinsonite (Thallium Lead Arsenic Sulfide)
Jamesonite (Lead Iron Antimony Sulfide)
Jordanite (Lead Thallium Arsenic Antimony Sulfide)
Matildite (Silver Bismuth Sulfide)
Meneghinite (Copper Lead Antimony Sulfide)
Miargyrite (Silver Antimony Sulfide)
Owyheeite (Silver Lead Antimony Sulfide)
Polybasite (Silver Copper Antimony Sulfide)
Proustite (Silver Arsenic Sulfide)
Pyrargyrite (Silver Antimony Sulfide)
Sartorite (Lead Arsenic Sulfide)
Schapbachite (Silver Bismuth Sulfide)
Semseyite (Lead Antimony Sulfide)
Smithite (Silver Arsenic Sulfide)
Stephanite (Silver Antimony Sulfide)
Tennantite (Copper Arsenic Sulfide)
Tetrahedrite (Copper Iron Antimony Sulfide)
Wittichenite (Copper Bismuth Sulfide)
Wittite (Lead Bismuth Selenide Sulfide)
Xanthoconite (Silver Arsenic Sulfide)
Zinkenite (Lead Antimony Sulfide)

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