Atacamite and Hibbingite

Atacamite

• Named after its type locality, the Atacama desert in Chile.
• Atacamite is isostructural with Hibbingite [Fe₂Cl(OH)₃], and Kempite [Mn₂Cl(OH)₃]
• In 2002 it was found out that the jaws of the marine bloodworm Glycera dibranchiata contain Atacamite.^[1]
• Atacamite is polymorphous with Botallackite and Clinoatacamite (both monoclinic).
• Formula: Cu₂Cl(OH)₃
• Space group: Pnma (No. 62)
• Crystal system: orthorhombic
• Crystal class: mmm
• Lattice parameters: a = 6.030(2) Å, b =  6.865(2) Å, c = 9.120(2) Å, α = β = γ = 90°

---

Picture: By Stefan Schorn – CC BY-SA 3.0
http://www.mineralienatlas.de/lexikon/index.php/Bildanzeige?pict=1081079762,
https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=399210

---

Crystal structure^[2] (click on the pictures to download the VESTA file):

(K. Momma and F. Izumi, “VESTA 3 for three-dimensional visualization of crystal, volumetric and morphology data,” J. Appl. Crystallogr., 44, 1272-1276 (2011).)

• CuO₅Cl distorted octahedra (orange)
• CuO₄Cl₂ distorted octahedra (blue)
• Oxygen (red)
• Chlorine (green)
• Hydrogen (white)

For a 3D interactive version, see here:

https://skfb.ly/6QpQY

References:

[1] H.C. Lichtenegger, Th. Schöberl, M.H. Bartl, H. Waite, G.D. Stucky
Science 2002, 298, 389-392.
DOI: 10.1126/science.1075433

[2] J.B. Parise, B.G. Hyde
Acta Cryst. C 1986, 42, 1277-1280.
DOI: 10.1107/S0108270186092570

---

Hibbingite

• Named after its type locality, the city of Hibbing, which was built on the rich iron ore of the Mesabi Iron Range. At the edge of the town is the largest open-pit iron mine in the world.
• Hibbingite is isostructural with Atacamite [Cu₂Cl(OH)₃] and Kempite [Mn₂Cl(OH)₃]
• Formula: Fe₂Cl(OH)₃
• Space group: Pnma (No. 62)
• Crystal system: orthorhombic
• Crystal class: mmm
• Lattice parameters: a = 6.3373(2) Å, b =  6.9892(2) Å, c = 9.3457(3) Å, α = β = γ = 90°

---

Crystal structure (click on the pictures to download the VESTA file):

(K. Momma and F. Izumi, “VESTA 3 for three-dimensional visualization of crystal, volumetric and morphology data,” J. Appl. Crystallogr., 44, 1272-1276 (2011).)

• FeO₅Cl distorted octahedra (green)
• FeO₄Cl₂ distorted octahedra (brown)
• Oxygen (red)
• Chlorine (green)
• Hydrogen (white)

For a 3D interactive version, see here:

https://skfb.ly/6QpRS

Reference:

N.V. Zubkova, I.V. Pekov, E.V. Sereda, V.O. Yapaskurt, D.Y. Pushcharovsky
Z. Kristallogr. 2019, 234 (6), 379-382.
DOI: 10.1515/zkri-2018-2124

---

 

Advertisement