Chalconatronite Mineral Data

General Chalconatronite Information

Chemical Formula:

Na2Cu(CO3)2•3(H2O)

Composition:

Molecular Weight = 283.59 gm

Sodium 16.21 % Na 21.86 % Na₂O

Copper 22.41 % Cu 28.05 % CuO

Hydrogen 2.13 % H 19.06 % H₂O

Carbon 8.47 % C 31.04 % CO₂

Oxygen 50.78 % O

______ ______

100.00 % 100.00 % = TOTAL OXIDE

Empirical Formula:

Na₂Cu(CO₃)₂•3(H₂O)

Environment:

Encrustation on bronze objects buried for centuries with their owner's natron-mummified bodies.

IMA Status:

Valid Species (Pre-IMA) 1955

Locality:

Egyptian bronze objects buried in tombs. Also at Grube Gluckrad, near Oberschulenberg, Hartz Mountains, Germany. Link to MinDat.org Location Data.

Name Origin:

Named after the composition, copper and natron (soda).

Synonym:

ICSD 200410

PDF 22-1458

Chalconatronite Image

Images:

Chalconatronite

Comments: Crystalline crusts of blue chalconatronite on sandstone.
Location: Slick Rock, Egnar Area, San Miguel County, Colorado, USA. Scale: See Photo.
© Jeff Weissman / Photographic Guide to Mineral Species

Images:

Sanromanite Juangodoyite Chalconatronite

Comments: Yellowish, long balded sanromanite crystals in vug with platy, blue juangodoyite replacing green chalconatronite.
Location: Santa Rosa mine, Iquique Province, Tarapaca, Chile. Scale: Picture size 3 mm.
© Tom Loomis / Dakota Matrix

Chalconatronite Crystallography

Axial Ratios:

a:b:c =2.2418:1:1.5849

Cell Dimensions:

a = 13.72, b = 6.12, c = 9.7, Z = 4; beta = 91.3° V = 814.26 Den(Calc)= 2.31

Crystal System:

Monoclinic - Prismatic H-M Symbol (2/m) Space Group: P 2₁/n

$Help on X Ray Diffraction:$ X Ray Diffraction:

By Intensity(I/I_o): 6.92(1), 4.15(0.8), 3.68(0.7),

Physical Properties of Chalconatronite

Color:

Greenish blue.

Density:

2.27

Habit:

Encrustations - Forms crust-like aggregates on matrix.

Habit:

Lath - Shaped like a small, thin plaster lath, tabular (rectangular) in shape.

Habit:

Platy - Sheet forms (e.g. micas).

Hardness:

1-2 - Between Talc and Gypsum

Streak:

pale greenish blue

Optical Properties of Chalconatronite

Gladstone-Dale:

CI meas= -0.063 (Fair) - where the CI = (1-KPDmeas/KC)
CI calc= -0.045 (Good) - where the CI = (1-KPDcalc/KC)
KPDcalc= 0.2293,KPDmeas= 0.2333,KC= 0.2195
Ncalc = 1.5 - 1.51

Optical Data:

Biaxial (+), a=1.483, b=1.53, g=1.576, bire=0.0930, 2V(Calc)=86, 2V(Meas)=70.

Pleochroism (x):

colorless.

Pleochroism (y):

pale blue.

Pleochroism (z):

blue.

Calculated Properties of Chalconatronite

Electron Density:

Bulk Density (Electron Density)=2.30 gm/cc
note: Specific Gravity of Chalconatronite =2.31 gm/cc.

Fermion Index:

Fermion Index = 0.0011786975
Boson Index = 0.9988213025

Photoelectric:

PE_{Chalconatronite}= 9.92 barns/electron
U=PE_{Chalconatronite} x rElectron Density= 22.78 barns/cc.

Radioactivity:

GRapi = 0 (Gamma Ray American Petroleum Institute Units)
Chalconatronite is Not Radioactive

Chalconatronite Classification

Dana Class:

15.02.03.01 (15)Hydrated Carbonates

(15.02)where A+m B++n (XO3)p ï¿½ x(H2O), (m+n):p > 1:1

(15.02.03)Dana Group

15.02.03.01 Chalconatronite Na2Cu(CO3)2•3(H2O) P 2₁/n 2/m

Strunz Class:

05.CB.40 05 - CARBONATES (NITRATES)

05.C - Carbonates without Additional Anions, with H2O

05.CB -With large cations (alkali and alkali-earth carbonates)

05.CB.40 Chalconatronite Na2Cu(CO3)2•3(H2O) P 2₁/n 2/m

Other Chalconatronite Information

References:

NAME( Dana8) PHYS. PROP.(Dana8) OPTIC PROP.(Dana8)

See Also:

Links to other databases for Chalconatronite :
1 - Alkali-Nuts(English)
2 - Alkali-Nuts(Francais)
3 - Am. Min. Crystal Structure Database
4 - Athena
5 - EUROmin Project
6 - Ecole des Mines de Paris
7 - GeoScienceWorld
8 - Google Images
9 - Google Scholar
10 - Handbook of Mineralogy (MinSocAm)
11 - Handbook of Mineralogy (UofA)
12 - MinDAT
13 - Mineralienatlas (Deutsch)
14 - Online Mineral Museum
15 - QUT Mineral Atlas
16 - Ruff.Info
17 - WWW-MINCRYST

Search for Chalconatronite using:

[AOL] [Bing] [Dog Pile] [GeoScienceWorld] [HotBot] [Ixquick] [Lycos] [MAMMA] [Scirus] [Teoma] [WebCrawler] [Wikipedia] [YAHOO]

Visit our Advertisers for Chalconatronite :

Ask about Chalconatronite here :
Ask-A-Mineralogist from the Mineralogical Society of America
Mindat.org's Discussion Groups
Original Rockhounds Discussion Group
Rockhounds Discussion Group on Yahoo Groups
Mineral Discussion Forum from Fabre Minerals - also available in Español

Print or Cut-and-Paste your Chalconatronite Specimen Label here :

Chalconatronite

Na2Cu(CO3)2•3(H2O)
Dana No: 15.02.03.01 Strunz No: 05.CB.40
Locality:

Notes:

Dakota Matrix
Excalibur Minerals
Exceptional Minerals
Hudson Insitute
John Betts Fine Minerals
Mc Dougall Minerals
Mineral News
Rock and Mineral Shows
Weinrich Minerals, Inc.