sphalerite

enUK

sphal·er·ite

S0631100 (sfăl′ə-rīt′)n. The primary ore of zinc, occurring in usually yellow-brown or brownish-black crystals or cleavage masses, essentially ZnS with some cadmium, iron, and manganese. Also called blende, zinc blende.

[Greek sphaleros, slippery, deceitful (from its being easily mistaken for galena) (from sphallein, to trip, from sphalos, fetter, pair of stocks; akin to Sanskrit skhalate, he stumbles, and Armenian sxalem, I stumble) + -ite.]

sphalerite

(ˈsfæləˌraɪt; ˈsfeɪlə-) n (Minerals) a yellow to brownish-black mineral consisting of zinc sulphide in cubic crystalline form with varying amounts of iron, manganese, cadmium, gallium, and indium: the chief source of zinc. Formula: ZnS. Also called: zinc blende [C19: from Greek sphaleros deceitful, from sphallein to cause to stumble]

sphal•er•ite

(ˈsfæl əˌraɪt, ˈsfeɪ lə-)

n. an ore mineral, zinc sulfide, ZnS. [1865–70; < Greek sphaler(ós) slippery, deceptive + -ite¹]

Thesaurus

Noun

sphalerite - an ore that is the chief source of zinc; consists largely of zinc sulfide in crystalline formblende, zinc blendeatomic number 49, indium, In - a rare soft silvery metallic element; occurs in small quantities in sphaleriteatomic number 81, thallium, Tl - a soft grey malleable metallic element that resembles tin but discolors on exposure to air; it is highly toxic and is used in rodent and insect poisons; occurs in zinc blende and some iron oresmineral - solid homogeneous inorganic substances occurring in nature having a definite chemical composition

sphalerite

enUK

sphalerite

(sfăl`ərīt, sfā`–), mineral composed of zinc sulfide, usually containing some iron and a little cadmium. It occurs in crystals of the isometric system but more generally in cleavable, compact masses. It is transparent to translucent and varies greatly in color, iron-free specimens being pale yellow and those with iron being brown, red, black, or green. The most important source of zinczinc,
metallic chemical element; symbol Zn; at. no. 30; at. wt. 65.38; m.p. 419.58&degC;; b.p. 907&degC;; sp. gr. 7.133 at 25&degC;; valence +2. Zinc is a lustrous bluish-white metal. It is found in Group 12 of the periodic table.
..... Click the link for more information. , sphalerite is a widely distributed mineral that commonly occurs in association with galena. It is found in large deposits in many parts of the world.

Sphalerite

(also blende), a mineral of the sulfide class with the chemical composition ZnS (67.1 percent Zn and 32.9 percent S). Sphalerite contains isomorphous admixtures of Fe (up to 26 percent), Mn, Cd, Ga, Ge, In, Co, and Hg. Varieties rich in Fe are known as marmatite, while the colorless and nearly colorless varieties are known as cleiophane. The structure of sphalerite is one of very dense cubic packing of S atoms with the tetrahedral interstices occupied by Zn atoms. The hexagonal modification of ZnS is called wurtzite. Certain sphalerites occur as banded inter-growths of cubic and hexagonal polytypic varieties.

Sphalerite occurs as granular masses, and the mineral frequently forms tetrahedral or dodecahedral crystals. In the absence of admixtures, it is colorless. The variations in color between brown and black are explained by the content of Fe. If Fe is present in small quantities, the greenish yellow color is caused by Cd, and the red color by Mn, Cu, and Ag and by In and Tl. Sphalerite has an adamantine luster, a hardness on Mohs’ scale of 3.5–1.0, and a density of 3,900–4,100 kg/m³, and it possesses piezoelectric and pyroelectric properties. It is formed in hydrothermal deposits together with galena, pyrite, chalcopyrite, arseno-pyrite, quartz, calcite, barite, and dolomite and in sedimentary deposits. In the zone of oxidation, sphalerite alters to zinc sulfate (goslarite) and smithsonite. Sphalerite is an important zinc ore.

A. S. MARFUNIN

sphalerite

[′sfal·ə‚rīt] (mineralogy) (Zn,Fe)S The low-temperature form and common polymorph of zinc sulfide; a usually brown or black mineral that crystallizes in the hextetrahedral class of the isometric system, occurs most commonly in coarse to fine, granular, cleanable masses, has resinous luster, hardness of 3.5 on Mohs scale, and specific gravity of 4.1. Also known as blende; false galena; jack; lead marcasite; mock lead; mock ore; pseudogalena; steel jack.

sphalerite

sphal·er·ite

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sphal•er•ite

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Synonyms for sphalerite

noun an ore that is the chief source of zinc

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