Sulfosalt minerals are those complex sulfide minerals with the general formula: A_mB_nS_p; where A represents a metal such as copper, lead, silver, iron and rarely mercury, zinc, vanadium; B usually represents semi-metal such as arsenic, antimony, bismuth and rarely germanium, or metals like tin and rarely vanadium; and S is sulfur or rarely selenium or/and tellurium.^[1] The Strunz classification includes the sulfosalts in a sulfides and sulfosalts superclass.^[1] A group which have a similar appearing formulas are the sulfarsenides (for example cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS). In sulfarsenides the arsenic substitutes for sulfur whereas in the sulfosalts the arsenic substitutes for a metal cation.^[2]

There are about 200 known sulfosalt minerals. Examples include:^[3]

• A₃BX₃ type
  • Pyrargyrite Ag₃SbS₃
  • Proustite Ag₃AsS₃
  • Tetrahedrite Cu₁₂Sb₄S₁₃
  • Tennantite Cu₁₂As₄S₁₃
• A₃BX₄ type
  • Enargite Cu₃AsS₄
  • Sulvanite Cu₃VS₄
  • Samsonite Ag₄MnSb₂S₆
  • Geocronite Pb₁₄(Sb,As)₆S₂₃
  • Gratonite Pb₉As₄S₁₅
• A₂BX₃ type
  • Bournonite PbCuSbS₃
  • Seligmannite PbCuAsS₃
  • Aikinite PbCuBiS₃
• ABX₂ type
  • Boulangerite Pb₅Sb₄S₁₁
  • Matildite AgBiS₂
  • Smithite AgAsS₂
  • Chalcostibite CuSbS₂
  • Emplectite CuBiS₂
  • Teallite PbSnS₂
• A₂B₂X₅ type
  • Ramdohrite Ag₃Pb₆Sb₁₁S₂₄
  • Jamesonite Pb₄FeSb₆S₁₄
  • Cosalite Pb₂Bi₂S₅
• A₂B₃X₆ type
  • Andorite PbAgSb₃S₆
  • Lindstromite Pb₃Cu₃Bi₇S₁₅
• AB₂X₄ type
  • Zinkenite Pb₉Sb₂₂S₄₂
  • Berthierite FeSb₂S₄
  • Cylindrite Pb₃Sn₄FeSb₂S₁₄

[edit] References

• N.N. Mozgova, 2000, Sulfosalt mineralogy today in MODERN APPROACHES TO ORE AND ENVIRONMENTAL MINERALOGY, MSF Mini-Symposium Espoo Finland, June 11-17, 2000, http://www.igem.ru/igem/mine/sulfosalts.htm Retrieved July 22, 2005.