ON the COMPOSITION and NOMENCLATURE of the LOELLINGITE GROUP DIARSENIDE MINERALS Raisa A
New Data on Minerals. М., 2007. Volume 42 93 ON THE COMPOSITION AND NOMENCLATURE OF THE LOELLINGITEGROUP DIARSENIDE MINERALS Raisa A. Vinogradova Lomonosov Moscow State University. Moscow The composition of loellingitegroup diarsenide minerals with wide range of Fe, Co, and Ni content is discussed. A nomenclature distinguishing mineral species loellingite, safflorite and rammelsbergite, and Cobearing loellin- gite, Nibearing loellingite, Febearing safflorite, Cobearing rammelsbergite, and Febearing rammelsbergiteis suggested. Chemical composition fields and Fe, Co, Ni concentration (at %) range in minerals and varieties are presented. This nomenclature allows to recognize features of individual compositions of the loellingitegroup diarsenides that corresponds to their names. 1 table, 1 figure, 12 reference Rhombic diarsenides of the loellingite the practically complete isomorphic substitu- group including loellingite FeAs2, safflorite tion between Fe, Co, and Ni in the loellin- CoAs2, and rammelsbergite NiAs2 with struc- gitegroup diarsenides and wide range of con- tures similar to marcasite (Borishanskaya et al., centrations of these elements (Fig. 1a). 1981; Vinogradova & Bochek, 1980). Rhombic Previously, some scientists have tried to pararammelsbergite NiAs2, cubic krutovite define limits of the loellingitegroup minerals NiAs2, and monoclinic clinosafflorite CoAs2 are on the basis of chemical composition, but such less abundant and are different from the limits are not universally agreed upon loellingitegroup minerals in structure. (Vinogadova & Bochek, 1980). Current avail- However, the structure of clinosafflorite is very able compositional data for the loellin- similar to the structure of loellingite/safflorite. gitegroup diarsenides and suggested nomen- Diarsenides of the loellingite group clature of minerals in ternary systems (Nickel, (Borishanskaya et al., 1981) are characteristic 1992) allow development of a comprehensive of CoNiAgBiU deposits and similar NiCo nomenclature of the loellingitegroup arsenide deposits.