Sulfide mineral

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A sulfide mineral is a mineral containing sulfide (S^2-) as the major anion. Sulfides are economically important as metal ores. The sulfide class also includes the selenides, the tellurides, the arsenides, the antimonides, the bismuthinides, and the sulfosalts (sulfur and a second anion such as arsenic).^[1]

Common or important examples include: sulfides:^[2]

• acanthite Ag₂S
• chalcocite Cu₂S
• bornite Cu₅FeS₄
• galena PbS
• sphalerite ZnS
• chalcopyrite CuFeS₂
• pyrrhotite Fe_1-xS
• millerite NiS
• pentlandite (Fe,Ni)₉S₈
• covellite CuS
• cinnabar HgS
• realgar AsS
• orpiment As₂S₃
• stibnite Sb₂S₃
• pyrite FeS₂
• marcasite FeS₂
• molybdenite MoS₂

Arsenides:

• nickeline NiAs
• skutterudite (Co,Ni)As₃

Antimonides:

• breithauptite NiSb

Tellurides:

• altaite PbTe
• calaverite AuTe₂
• sylvanite (Au,Ag)Te₂

Sulfosalts:

• cobaltite (Co,Fe)AsS
• arsenopyrite FeAsS
• pyrargyrite Ag₃SbS₃
• proustite Ag₃AsS₃
• tetrahedrite Cu₁₂Sb₄S₁₃
• tennantite Cu₁₂As₄S₁₃
• enargite Cu₃AsS₄
• bournonite PbCuSbS₃
• jamesonite Pb₄FeSb₆S₁₄

[edit] References

1. ^ http://www.minerals.net/mineral/sort-met.hod/group/sulfgrp.htm Minerals.net Dana Classification, Sulfides
2. ^ Klein, Cornelis and Cornelius S. Hurlbut, Jr., 1986, Manual of Mineralogy, Wiley, 20th ed., pp 269-293 ISBN 0-471-80580-7

• Webmineral New Dana Classification of Sulfide Minerals
• Webmineral Strunz classification: sulfides